Chapter 219 |
< World War II - The Awakening of a Giant (5) >
October 22, 1941
London, Capital of Britain – War Office
Winston Churchill was puffing away on a cigar.
The situation in the colonies, which had witnessed Ethiopia’s great performance and the independence movement in India, was deeply unsettling, and this was especially true for the colonies seized from France.
Although it wasn’t a British colony, approving the independence of a colony called Joseon or Daehan or whatever it was under these circumstances was a considerable burden for Churchill.
Nevertheless, the fact that he had approved it and requested Germany’s help so early showed just how seriously Britain viewed the current situation.
“The Japanese capital ships confirmed in the East Indies to date are as follows: Battleships Nagato, Mutsu, Fuso, Yamashiro, Ise, and Hyuga. Aircraft carriers Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, Hiryu, and Shokaku.”
As the First Sea Lord, Admiral Dudley Pound, finished speaking, a collective sigh swept through the War Office.
Among them, the Nagato and Mutsu were improved versions of the Queen Elizabeth-class, Britain’s own capital ships. This meant they were not an opponent to be taken lightly.
Churchill exhaled a puff of cigar smoke and then spoke.
“What about their battlecruisers?”
“They possess four battlecruisers: Kongo, Hiei, Kirishima, and Haruna.
However, they have not been spotted near the East Indies. They are presumed to be on missions for command of the sea or transport fleet protection, but being battlecruisers, the possibility of them joining the battle cannot be ignored.”
“Ugh…”
Winston Churchill let out a groan.
The British fleet deployed in India under Admiral James Somerville’s command consisted of the battleships King George V, Prince of Wales, and Warspite; the battlecruisers Hood and Repulse; and the aircraft carriers Glorious, Illustrious, and Formidable.
A total of three battleships, two battlecruisers, and three aircraft carriers.
No matter how you looked at it, they were at an overwhelming disadvantage.
To think it had come to this even after scraping together everything but the bare minimum of capital ships from the Atlantic and Mediterranean… the face of the British Empire was in tatters.
“Where do you think their target is?”
“We predict Ceylon Island, Prime Minister.”
“Damn it, so we can’t even use a fleet in being strategy.”
They couldn't just lock all their capital ships away on Ceylon Island, and the moment Ceylon fell, the enemy would be able to raid the supply routes from Europe to India at will.
At this point, there was only one answer.
“They will undoubtedly force a decisive fleet battle.
Utilize air support to the fullest and, no matter what, defend Ceylon Island.”
“Understood, Prime Minister.”
Churchill stubbed out his cigar in an ashtray.
“If only we had a little more time…”
If they could have fought a decisive battle after the Reichsmarine had joined them, they would have had a sufficient chance of winning.
The thought of what could have been was deeply regrettable.
“Come to think of it, won’t their submarine fleet be of some help in this naval battle? What about asking them to join us completely, like Admiral Doorman of the Netherlands did…”
At Churchill’s spontaneous suggestion, Admiral Pound subtly furrowed his brow.
“According to Admiral Somerville’s report, Admiral Dönitz declared he would act independently instead of joining us for the engagement.”
“Tsk, it can’t be helped.”
For the Royal Navy, who were desperate for any help they could get, it was a shame, but Britain, being the one receiving aid, was not in a position to tell Germany what to do.
To think that the pride of Britain, the world’s strongest navy, the Royal Navy, would be in a situation where it was desperately awaiting the help of the German Navy.
Feeling the vanity of life, Churchill put a new cigar in his mouth, lit it, and glared at the report.
A grand fleet of over twenty capital ships from both sides had gathered in the Indian Ocean.
“…The greatest decisive fleet battle in history is about to take place.”
-
October 22, 1941
British Malaya, Singapore – Empire of Japan Occupied Territory
“Wh-What in the world are you saying, Commander-in-Chief! That we can’t mobilize the battleships for this operation?”
Nagumo Chuichi, a renowned expert in torpedo warfare in the Imperial Japanese Navy and a key figure in the Fleet Faction that championed the Big Gun Doctrine, looked utterly dumbfounded.
However, Yamamoto Isoroku, who had just delivered the news, remained impassive.
“For this operation to capture Ceylon Island, we will only utilize a strike force centered on aircraft carriers.”
“N-No. How can you say we can’t use our navy’s pride, the Nagato and Mutsu?”
The commander of this operation, Nagumo, who had been imagining a grand decisive fleet battle where they would crush the enemy in a head-on confrontation and capture Ceylon with their superior numbers of capital ships, was speechless.
But the Imperial Japanese Navy had its own circumstances.
“America has deployed a large fleet to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.”
“Th-That is…”
“It could just be a show of force, but in the unlikely event that they enter the war…”
Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku paused for a moment before continuing.
“If we are to have even a sliver of a chance of winning a war against them, we must preserve our battleships at all costs.”
“B-But carriers are nothing more than a secondary strike weapon, Commander-in-Chief! All the more reason if you’re thinking of a war with America! We must take this opportunity to completely annihilate the British Navy-”
“We have no steel.”
“…Pardon?”
“I said, we have no steel.”
The Empire of Japan had overextended its front lines far too much.
It had to mobilize a far larger army than in the original history, which in turn led to an even greater consumption of steel than in the original history.
Furthermore, the politicians in Japan tended to favor the Army slightly over the Navy, and the Imperial Japanese Navy was suffering from a chronic shortage of steel.
While the Army constantly criticized the Navy for being uncooperative, the Navy had plenty to say for itself.
“We have already given up on the fourth Yamato-class ship to complete the Yamato and Musashi on time. If our battleships are heavily damaged in this battle, we will be severely short of the steel needed for repairs.”
Admiral Nagumo was at a loss for words.
'Wait, then shouldn't we stop the war?'
Of course, the Empire of Japan could not stop the war.
The Allied Forces would never agree to an armistice that let Japan keep what it had taken. On the other hand, if they agreed to an armistice without securing resource-rich territories or additional colonies, the Japanese economy, which had gone all-in on its munitions industry, would be the end of them.
“Therefore, Admiral, you are to use the aircraft carriers to inflict as much damage as possible on the enemy, but you must return with the capital ships fully intact, no matter what.”
Nagumo looked as if to say, 'What kind of bullshit is this?'
In truth, even if they were precious, it would have been fine to assign a few battleships.
To hand over only carriers to a man from the Fleet Faction, who was more accustomed to battleships, and order him to defeat the enemy was absurd.
Actually, Commander-in-Chief Yamamoto hadn’t wanted to entrust this role to Nagumo either.
He would have preferred to give it to someone from his own Treaty Faction.
However, due to Japan's unique hierarchy system, the position had gone to Nagumo.
In that case, he might as well save the battleships and use this plausible justification to keep him in check.
Although it was a decision that filled Nagumo with dissatisfaction, the Commander-in-Chief’s next words put an end to the argument.
“It is an order from His Majesty the Emperor.”
“…Tenno Heika Banzai! (Long live His Majesty the Emperor!)”
What could he do? He just had to do as he was told.
Britain’s preparation for the greatest decisive fleet battle in history was thus thwarted for a ridiculously mundane reason.
-
October 27, 1941
Waters near Ceylon Island, South of India
However, the operation decided upon for that ridiculous reason brought about a situation that neither the Royal Navy nor the Imperial Japanese Navy had anticipated.
“Th-That's absurd! Why, why am I the one getting tailed?!”
A British pilot screamed.
He was piloting a Hawker Hurricane and had gotten perfectly behind an enemy aircraft, but after a short turn fight, he found himself on the receiving end of a tail.
-Mayday, Mayday! Enemy aircraft, enemy aircraft on my six- Aaargh!
-What is this ridiculous turning capability!
The RAF and the Royal Navy’s Naval Air Service, who had sortied while inwardly looking down on the Empire of Japan as a second-rate Asian country, were being annihilated, screaming in agony.
The Imperial Japanese Navy’s carrier-based aircraft, the A6M, commonly known as the ‘Zerosen,’ was hunting the British pilots with a turning ability that pilots who had only experienced the European Front could never have imagined.
Admiral James Somerville was furious, but there was little he could do.
“Damn it, you bastards! Those cowardly fiends!”
The new, albeit treaty-compliant, battleships King George V and Prince of Wales; the old but remarkably effective battleship Warspite from the Mediterranean; and Britain’s pride, the Mighty Hood and the battlecruiser Repulse.
These were the battleships he had brought out, believing that even if they were outnumbered in ships, they would have the upper hand in quality.
However, the Imperial Japanese Navy roamed the Indian Ocean, sending out only its carrier-based aircraft, and when the Royal Navy approached, they simply retreated, maintaining the distance.
A battleship could not catch an aircraft carrier in terms of speed, so there was nothing the Royal Navy’s proud battleships could do.
Having been badly burned by the French, the Royal Navy, unlike in the original history, had not made the mistake of sending out battleships alone without escorts or air support.
But the Royal Navy had never once fought an out-range naval battle like this. In the decisive fleet battles that had taken place across the European theater, battleships had always been the decisive key card.
But now, the battleships could do nothing while the RAF planes from Ceylon and the carrier-based aircraft were being almost unilaterally slaughtered.
The Japanese pilots had become veterans through the Second Sino-Japanese War, and they were using the Zerosen, which had been developed with an extreme focus on turn fights.
The British forces in Asia, mostly comprised of second-rate aircraft and pilots compared to Europe or the homeland, were no match for them.
As the losses of British fighters mounted, dive bombers and torpedo bombers began to swarm in, and the damage to the Royal Navy accumulated.
“T-To be this helpless…”
Admiral James Somerville sighed deeply, but there was nothing the Royal Navy could do when the enemy, with five carriers, was superior in the dogfight and just kept repeating long-range strikes.
A signal flare heralding the demise of the Big Gun Doctrine had been launched.
-
In the end, during the two-day engagement, the British Navy failed to inflict any significant damage on the Japanese Navy, instead suffering considerable damage to their own ships and losing a great deal of face.
It wasn't just the British Navy that was flustered by this situation.
Admiral Nagumo muttered to himself, genuinely astounded.
“Were we, were our aircraft carriers this powerful?”
At this rate, the naval battle off Ceylon would be an overwhelming victory.
There were some losses among the carrier aircraft, but considering the military gains, it wasn’t a major blow.
But his victory would actually deal a blow to the political standing of the Fleet Faction, which had championed the Big Gun Doctrine until now.
And the voice of Commander-in-Chief Yamamoto Isoroku and the rest of the Treaty Faction, who had sent him out without a single battleship, would grow stronger.
But, even so…
Nagumo let out a hollow laugh as he watched his subordinates shouting “Banzai” in excitement.
“Te-Tenno Heika Banzai!”
“Long live the Great Empire of Japan!”
“We are strong! The white people are nothing!”
The Imperial Japanese Navy, which had been worried that they might be defeated if they confronted the great white powers, was now brimming with unparalleled pride and confidence.
Watching his subordinates’ cheering, Nagumo decided to think positively.
“We will continue to repeat these strikes. It would be trouble if they retreat to prevent further damage to their ships, so order the landing force to depart.”
“Hai!”
The story of how the French Navy used their transport ships as bait to prevent the Royal Navy’s retreat during France’s surprise attack had left a considerable impression on the Empire of Japan as well.
Although it wasn’t the kind of victory the Fleet Faction had wanted, now that he had seized the momentum, Nagumo was fired up with the motivation to land a decisive blow on those white imperialists.
“Gentlemen, let us show them the power of the Great Empire of Japan! Tenno Heika Banzai!”
“Tenno Heika Banzai!”
“The Empire of Japan is strong!”
-
Unfortunately, however, the joy was not Japan’s alone.
The port of Orissa, Eastern India.
The gaunt Admiral Karl Dönitz surveyed the scene of his U-boat crews lined up and opened his mouth.
“Gentlemen, we have received a report that the enemy’s transport convoy has departed.”
How utterly absurd Dönitz had found it when those British fools asked him to join their decisive fleet battle.
What did they expect U-boats to do in a battle swarming with carrier aircraft?
“Those Brits seem to think we came here to clean up after them.”
As the sailors burst into laughter, Admiral Dönitz grinned and shouted.
“Who are you!”
“The wolf pack!”
The U-boat crews answered in one voice.
“What have you come here to do!”
“To hunt!”
“What do you desire!”
“Military merit!”
Dönitz smiled with utmost cruelty.
“The Fatherland desires your hunt! Go, gentlemen! Tear them to shreds without mercy! Drag them all down to the cold ocean floor! And seize your glory!”
“Jawohl!”