Chapter 63:
Chapter 63
[Boom! Boom! Boom!]
As soon as the message arrived from the embassy, the Combined Fleet launched an air raid on Pearl Harbor.
Do not start the attack until you receive the news that the declaration of war has been delivered!
The Prime Minister had pleaded with him.
No, what are you thinking? A declaration of war is something you announce before an attack, not after. You want me to wait until the declaration is delivered and then attack right away?
That’s a miraculous logic.
Yamamoto was speechless.
But deception is inevitable in war.
He had already sworn to himself that he would take all the blame for this dishonor.
In fact, the price of dishonor would not be too high. If he won, he could rewrite history as the victor’s right. No one would criticize him.
What if he lost?
He would die honorably or be captured after fighting to the end and become a prisoner.
Death was inevitable, so what did it matter if he was stained with it?
The United States would also demonize him if they won, just as Japan was trying to demonize them.
“Air Force, report.”
“The Zero fighters took off first, but there was no sign of aerial combat. There was no anti-aircraft fire from the ground either. The surprise attack was successful!”
The command room was filled with ecstatic cheers.
Japan was indeed a country protected by the gods! We dedicate our victory to His Majesty the Emperor!
Of course, Yamamoto was still gloomy.
The people seemed to interpret his attitude as calmness and coolness.
But he could not be excited.
“The second group is the dive bombers, and the third group is the horizontal bombers. The primary targets are their airfields and battleships. Execute as you practiced.”
“Yes, sir!”
It roughly fit his scenario.
The United States had sent its battleships to the Atlantic Fleet and instead sent its aircraft carriers to the Pacific.
There were six aircraft carriers stationed in Pearl Harbor. Of course, there were also five battleships and eight cruisers… But Japan also had its own solutions.
Underwater, there were 26 Japanese submarine squadrons trained by submarine aces from Germany and ‘secret weapons’.
The planes that took off from six aircraft carriers tore apart Pearl Harbor’s air defense network.
They targeted the airfields and carriers first, so that they could not counterattack with their own planes, and then attacked the battleships.
The secret weapons were guaranteed to destroy the battleships with a single blow.
To prevent the US Pacific Fleet from stopping Japan’s advance southward, they had to destroy their ships first.
Of course, it wasn’t over just by destroying the ships.
The intelligence department had provided detailed maps of Pearl Harbor’s facilities that had to be destroyed by the Combined Fleet.
Pearl Harbor had all the facilities needed by the Pacific Fleet as its base. Fuel storage tanks, docks, shipyards, submarine bases, and airfields for defense.
They had to destroy all these facilities to completely annihilate the Pacific Fleet.
Yamamoto wanted to destroy the infrastructure first, knowing well the US production capacity.
Of course, he had to attack the ships first, since they wouldn’t just watch him do that. But these ships could be easily reproduced by them.
But if Pearl Harbor lost its ability as a base, it would have the same effect as occupying it without actually doing so! How could they come this far in the vast Pacific without a mid-way base?
Even if they tried to rebuild Pearl Harbor, they would have to bring various equipment on slow transport ships. If only they could block this route with submarines…
“But it’s impossible…”
“Sir?”
“No, nothing.”
He knew best about Japan’s naval capabilities.
Hawaii, Pearl Harbor was well defended.
Dozens of coastal batteries and radars.
They were confused now because of his surprise attack, but they would soon regain their combat posture.
He wanted to take his battleship and smash them, but the coastal batteries were too tough for even his flagship Yamato.
And what if he temporarily disabled Hawaii?
How could he find the US fleet in the vast Pacific that covered one-third of the earth’s surface?
They had also hidden in this huge ocean and came here.
“Success! Success! Two battleships sunk! Two damaged!”
“What is the damage situation of the dive bombers?”
“Some anti-aircraft batteries have started firing now. But there is no aerial interception at all. Forty-nine out of fifty-one dive bombers are returning!”
The veteran pilots who had been trained in long wars on the continent performed better than he expected. At least better than expected.
The staff cheered.
They could achieve this much with just air raids!
The secret weapons hadn’t even taken off yet.
Pearl Harbor must be in chaos by now.
The staff urged their commander.
“Sir! Please allow us to launch special attacks!”
“…Permission granted.”
Take off! Take off!
The radio operator happily relayed the commander’s order.
Yamamoto closed his eyes slightly.
Special attacks.
The ‘manned torpedoes’ carried by the submarines had a massive two-ton explosive charge and would dive into the battleships in Pearl Harbor and explode.
Japan’s technology was not able to guide the torpedoes properly, so the top brass came up with this ‘special attack’.
‘Is this even possible…’
The young men selected as special attack members were all elites.
They were the ones who would lead this country in the future.
And they sent them to die in that special attack as an example to others?
This was madness.
But the staff cheered anyway.
Victory and promotion and success awaited them!
They were disgusting, hiding in a safe battleship and sending young men to their deaths while enjoying themselves.
Yamamoto himself was no exception.
***
Pearl Harbor was full of all the ships of the US Pacific Fleet.
Except for the battleships Nevada, Tennessee, and Maryland, which were sent to the Atlantic, and the Enterprise, which was returning from San Francisco for repairs and training, they all came back to Hawaii for a peaceful Sunday break.
And they were all caught off guard by a surprise attack.
The Japanese navy first launched a coordinated air strike to disable the battleships and airfields, and then followed up with dive bombers and horizontal bombers.
The US fleet was battered without putting up much resistance.
The anti-aircraft batteries realized that this was not a training situation only after the second wave of attacks began, but there were already too many disabled ships.
“I announce to all the officers and soldiers! All hands to battle stations! All hands to battle stations! This is not a drill! This is a real situation. I repeat, this is not a drill!”
Under the roar of the Japanese fighters, sirens and broadcasts announced that this was a real situation.
Of course, there was no time to think carefully about it.
The personnel on duty on the flagship were mostly in chaos due to the intensive bombing on the battleship, and suffered tremendous damage.
Most of the battleships were tilting, spewing black smoke, and one aircraft carrier was also engulfed in crimson flames, as if its fuel tank had been damaged.
“They’re coming again! Enemy aircraft approaching from all directions! About… 100… no, more than 150!”
“Damn it, those Japs just sent a declaration of war to our homeland!”
Admiral Kimmel grabbed his head.
The United States had once again been humiliated by the enemy.
The dirty Nazi Germany had used a trick to disable the Panama Canal, the greatest asset of the United States and the U.S. Navy.
It would not take decades to rebuild the destroyed dam as it did when the canal was first built, but… it would take at least a few years.
In the meantime, cooperation between the Pacific Fleet and the Atlantic Fleet was virtually impossible.
And now the Pacific Fleet that was supposed to cooperate with the Atlantic Fleet was evaporating. Under the surprise attack of those bastard Japs.
The Soviet Foreign Ministry had secretly informed the U.S. State Department through diplomatic channels that Japan was preparing a surprise attack on the Pacific Fleet since the outbreak of the war.
But since the Soviet Union and Japan had signed a non-aggression pact and maintained a friendly relationship, the State Department considered this an attempt to provoke a conflict between the United States and Japan.
The State Department strongly suspected that the communists were trying to gain some advantage by pitting the U.S. and Japan against each other. The bureaucrats at the State Department said.
“The radicals have infiltrated us, and they are trying to deceive us and take their own interests! Beware of them!”
President Roosevelt was on the side of liking and trusting the Soviet Union, but he wanted to acknowledge the expertise of the professional bureaucrats in front of their unanimous opposition.
There were different opinions on whether it was an attempt by the Soviet Union to defend the Far East by inducing a war between Japan and the United States.
Especially those in charge of Lend-Lease, such as General Marshall, argued that it was nonsense.
What if the supplies flowing to the Pacific were cut off?
Of course, they had no choice but to shut up in front of the argument that they should be wary of communism.
The U.S. political scene was still hostile to communism, and only a big shot like Roosevelt could push through something like the New Deal policy while ignoring opposition from his own party.
Anyway, Admiral Kimmel, who thought that anti-communists’ opinions were plausible, now had to blame himself for his incompetence and shortsightedness.
“Aircraft carrier Yorktown… exploded! It seems that the internal aviation fuel exploded. It’s now split in half…”
A huge explosion sounded outside. Admiral Kimmel ran to the window of the command post at the submarine base, and communication officers relayed reports that had just come up. He saw a huge ship engulfed in flames and split in half as it slowly sank into the distance.
His teeth gnashed.
Only Japanese aircraft were flying around like swarms of bees in the sky, and ships in port were just sitting there like dumbfounded cows, burning from torpedoes and bombs dropped by them.
The U.S. Pacific Fleet had to be slaughtered like pigs with their hands and feet tied under enemy attacks.
Whether it was machine gun fire from enemy planes or something else, command post windows shattered and bullets hit the floor.
Admiral Kimmel was standing right next to where bullets pierced holes in walls as command post turned into hell in an instant.
Wind and flying glass shards and documents rushed in through windows that were shattered in an instant.
“Admiral, get down!”
“… It would be more merciful to let me die here…”
A young captain grabbed him as he stared blankly out of window.
Communication officer had to pretend not to hear his mumbling voice. Admiral, you can’t do that. Admiral! Pull yourself together!
He dragged him like a scarecrow with half-closed eyes and bowed head down stairs.
Communication officer shook him as if he could read his mind with lifeless eyes staring at captain’s eyes.
Then he tore off his shoulder strap with four stars on it and threw it on floor.
“That’s enough, it’s all over now. There’s nothing I can do. I just have to wait for punishment…”
“Commander!”
“Arizona… Oklahoma… Yorktown… They’re all smashed up. And what else? A huge battleship of Japan that’s not even on the identification chart? How do we deal with that now?”
No one had anything to say.
They just glared at admiral who seemed to have given up everything.
Isn’t it your job as commander to deal with that?
Of course, it was hard to blame the commander entirely for the disaster.
They must have planned thoroughly in advance and targeted the most vulnerable time of the U.S. forces, and prepared many deception tactics for that.
They immediately targeted anti-aircraft facilities and airfields, eliminating the ability to respond to air raids. Then they accurately targeted the weak points of aircraft carriers.
Dive bombers focused on battleships rather than carriers, and as if they knew that Yorktown-class had poor torpedo resistance due to its low displacement, they stuck several aerial torpedoes on the sides of aircraft carriers.
“Staying trapped here will only give all our ships to enemy’s air raids. Commander! Order to get fleet out of Pearl Harbor!”
“… I approve. The coastal batteries will protect you, but get each of the main ships out one by one to a maneuverable area.”
A staff officer appealed in a miserable voice.
Admiral Kimmel, who had not lost his judgment itself, gave an order in a powerless voice.
Of course, there was no choice.
“If we die anyway, let’s go out and fight and die. Give orders to each captain! Deploy all personnel to anti-aircraft batteries! Coastal batteries to full battle readiness!”
“Yes, sir!”
The U.S. battleships that could still move started heading one by one toward the exit of Pearl Harbor.
The aircraft carriers followed them.
The interior space of Pearl Harbor was packed with ships, so there was not enough room to maneuver to avoid aerial bombs.
At least if they went outside, they could be protected by anti-aircraft batteries and coastal batteries within range, and the depth was not too deep to defend against enemy torpedoes.
Also, if an allied ship exploded, they had to keep a minimum distance to avoid additional damage.
“Enterprise, where is Enterprise? Contact us quickly!”
And the last allied flagship. The last hope that had not yet been dragged into this hell, Enterprise.
It must be somewhere in the vast sea, but not too far away.
“Enterprise must survive! We can’t give up all our main ships!”
The decision of the U.S. fleet was tactically correct.
In shallow waters near the coast, torpedoes could not move properly, and they had to avoid being damaged by the explosion of allied ships rather than preparing for torpedoes.
They never imagined it.
How Japan had modified its torpedoes.
“Long live Emperor! Long live Great Japan Empire!”
“We will shatter enemy ships like scattering cherry blossoms!”
“See you at Yasukuni Shrine! Tenno Heika Banzai!!!”
The special attack unit members who boarded the manned torpedo ‘Kaiten’ (回天) left a word each and entered the hatch that would never open again.
Even if the torpedo failed and was buried in the sand, the hatch would not open due to water pressure.
Of course, there was no need to say what would happen if they hit and exploded a battleship.
The explosive could shatter the armor plate of the battleship, what about the flesh and blood of humans?
The submarines and the cruiser Kongo, which was converted into a Kaiten carrier, braved the fire of the coastal batteries and entered the optimal range to launch the Kaiten torpedoes.
The other battleships, including Yamato, exchanged fire with the coastal batteries.
Yamato’s 18.1-inch main gun spewed fire. The officers and soldiers were amazed by the power of firing shells that weighed more than a ton.
The coastal batteries with low defense were already blown up.
Yamato was not happy even though he received reports that he had destroyed the defensive facilities.
‘Yamato’s firing limit is… 150 rounds per gun? 250 rounds?’
He had to destroy the coastal batteries and the submarine base hidden in reinforced concrete like fuel tanks and turrets, which were dozens of them.
What if it was impossible?
The United States would just build a new fleet and push in.
The other battleships were also happily firing their main guns, but no one seemed to think about it.
It took a lot of labor and cost to make Yamato’s 18.1-inch gun barrel.
It was an expensive thing that could not fire 300 rounds, and it cost a lot of money every time it fired.
He had to sweat every time he fired a salvo, knowing that there were only a few spare barrels.
“The special attack unit has sunk the battleship! The confirmed battleships are all destroyed! Their fleet is sinking into the sea!”
“Four aircraft carriers destroyed! One aircraft carrier is missing, but we have sunk all those confirmed in Hawaii!”
“Waaaaaa!! Tenno Heika Banzai!!!”
They achieved their short-term goal. Yamato had nothing to say to those who were happy to know that.
They just pulled out ‘a hair’ from the nose of that sleeping giant. And they even missed one aircraft carrier. Of course, Japan’s naval supremacy would be maintained for a while…
But he couldn’t lower his morale yet.
“Good! It’s a great victory! Tenno Heika Banzai!”
“Banzai!!!”
***
The Pearl Harbor disaster spread quickly to the political and media circles of various countries.
The cowardly surprise attack by Japan and the massive loss of the U.S.
Pacific Fleet made headlines on many newspapers the next day.
“It’s better this way. Let’s prepare to send an envoy to Japan. We have to send a special envoy to the United States… Molotov, you have to work hard again.”
“Yes, Comrade Secretary!”
Tsk tsk tsk. They did this even though I warned them.
Of course, the date was slightly different, but soldiers who failed to guard could not be forgiven.
They said that most of them suffered more than major damage except for three battleships that were not in Pearl Harbor at that time and Enterprise that escaped air raids by luck.
Fortunately, did they save Enterprise at least?
Whatever happens, it’s good.
Our Soviet Union can take advantage of this chaos in any way.
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