Sea of Fire

Chapter 46

On the northern Island of Hokkaido, the Cherry Blossoms were blooming very late that year. It was already June, the war over six months old, but the beauty of the fragile white flowers had not been frightened away. Yet that year, another flower was blooming in a secret design facility near Yokosuka that had first been set up to evaluate models of foreign aircraft acquired by Japan before the war. It was now working closely with the Naval Academy and design bureau at Tsukijii near Tokyo Bay, and the flowers they were contemplating would one day come to be known as the MXY-7 Ohka, or “Cherry Blossom.”

For a long year now, there had been rumors, followed by intelligence, concerning the existence of a phantom ship that had appeared in the Atlantic, soon found to be closely cooperating with the British Royal Navy. It was thought to be a highly advanced prototype ship, bearing weapons that soon shocked military analysts in battles with the German Kriegsmarine. They were naval rockets, fast, precise in their targeting, and very deadly.

The rumors remained simply that for some months, talk in the bars, whispered tales, sailor’s stories as wile and contrived as those of a fisherman describing his catch. But they did not remain rumors and stories for very long. Not ten days after the dramatic opening attack on the American fleet at Pearl harbor, the rumors and gossip became a grim reality, witnessed by officers of the highest rank aboard the flagship of the Kido Butai, the carrier Akagi.

A sighting report had come in from a search plane describing a fast moving vapor trail approaching Nagumo’s task force from the north. That alone had been puzzling, for there was no land mass of any kind in that direction where a plane might have originated.

“What is this supposed to mean?” said Nagumo at that time, handing the report to the ship’s Captain. “A fast moving vapor trail?”

The Captain frowned at the paper, but at that moment a bell rang and the upper watch was reporting verbally that something was in the sky to the north. Nagumo considered the possibilities quickly. The only land mass that could have launched an aircraft was Wake Island to the south. What would be coming out of the north? Could one of the American carriers have been so bold as to follow them? Surely his search planes would have spotted such a task force creeping up, but he had not paid much attention to the northern flank. He had three fighters up on cap, with three more on the decks of his carriers ready for immediate launch. He had it in mind to have his Air Commander, Masudo Shogo, vector in one of those fighters for a look, until he saw what the watchmen were reporting with his own eyes.

The meaning of ‘fast moving vapor trail’ was now immediately apparent. Something was soaring towards his position, high in the sky, but now it began to descend, like some demigod or demon swooping down. It had to be a plane on fire, he thought, raising his field glasses, and thinking he could even see the faint gleam of fire there. Some ill-fated pilot was falling to his doom, but impossibly fast in the descent. Who could it be?

Then, to his utter amazement, the falling aircraft leveled off just before it would have crashed into the sea. All the men on the bridge who saw it reacted, some pointing in awe. The Admiral’s eyes narrowed as he watched. It was coming, still burning from what he could see, low and fast over the water, and the fire from its tail glowed upon the sea. That such a descent could have been corrected at the last moment like that seemed an impossible feat of flying to his mind, but now he would see more than he ever thought possible. The aircraft suddenly veered left, then right again, dancing over the water like a mad kami from hell. The pilot must have finally lost control, he thought, but the longer he looked, the more those first moments of surprise extended into shock.

The maneuvers that aircraft was making could not be accomplished by any plane he had ever known, and yet there was something about the snap of its course corrections that led his mind to conclude they were carefully controlled.

The thing in the sky came flashing in at the ship, as if deliberately piloted and steered to collide with the carrier. Nagumo saw the deck of Akagi heave upward when it struck, exploding deep within the innards of the carrier. He staggered under the jarring impact, still stunned and not yet even knowing what could have possibly hit the ship. Yet he had seen it with his own eyes, and now the roar of chaos and fire was all about him. It was as if some demonic spirit had simply reached down and hammered his fist against the side of the carrier, breaking its hard metal hull and shattering all within.

The shock of that hit weighed heavily on the entire bridge crew, and they would soon learn that the entire center of the upper hangar deck was involved with fire.

“It was clearly a single plane,” said Fuchida. “I was well aft when it came, seeing to the three Zeros we have spotted on ready alert. The impact knocked me from my feet.”

“One plane?” said Shogo. “Its speed was fantastic! Could it have been the rocket weapons we were warned about?”

“The tales told by the Prophet?” said Hasegawa. “You might just as easily tell me it was a sky demon”

“That is not far from the truth,” said Genda. “Plane, rocket, it does not matter. We have seen what it can do, how it can move and strike us with such precision.”

“It must have been piloted,” said Shogo. “No rocket fired from over the horizon could hit with such accuracy. So if it was piloted, then it must have been launched from a carrier. We must find it and destroy it at once!”

Those first words, uttered in both awe and fearful respect for the weapon that had just attacked them, would soon reach the ears of the aeronautical designers at technical facilities all over Japan, and one in particular, an Ensign Mitsuo Ohta, took them to heart…. “No rocket fired from over the horizon could hit with such accuracy. It must have been piloted….”

The concept of rockets wat not a new thing, particularly to the people and culture of Japan. The Chinese Song Dynasty had created rudimentary rockets as early as the year 1232, and enemy warriors actually described them as “Fire Arrows,” with a devastating explosion on impact that could be heard five leagues away. In the 14th Century, the first multi-stage rocket would be born, described as a fire dragon in the artillery manual known as the Huolongjing, or Huo Lung Ching.

Used by the Chinese Navy, it would be fired from a ship, and could then even ignite smaller rocket propelled arrows from the front of the missile, the fiery breath of the monster used to attack the enemy. Others called them flying crows with magic fire. So it came as no great surprise that the Germans of the 1940s were not the only nation working on rocketry, and the Japanese interest in the subject had been dramatically accelerated when the Akagi was struck by what might easily be described as a flying dragon on the 16th of December, 1941.

Now Japan had finally seen the devastation that could be achieved by the use of naval rocketry. Work on their own rocket engines had been feverishly advanced since that time, and a great deal of progress had been made, particularly when a cache of secret documents were mysteriously delivered from the Japanese embassy in Orenburg, a “gift” from Ivan Volkov. In them were detailed plans of models the Germans were currently working on, and suggestions for solving problems in the design of their own rockets, improving range, airframe design, aeronautic stability.

The one problem that would evade a solution was how such weapons could be guided to their intended targets. No mechanical solution could be found. The Germans were exploring avenues of research using radio controlled systems that might be guided to targets visually by a pilot in the plane that carried and launched their aerial flying dragons. So the Japanese also began to develop versions of a missile that would look very much like the German V-1 Buzz Bomb.

The Ohka was their version, and they were working on a host of variants, some that might be mounted on a Model 24J Bomber, the one the Allies called “Betty.” This was the Model 11, and it was powered by three Type 4 Mark 1 Model 20 solid fuel rockets. It would have limited range, making it necessary to use the bomber to carry the weapon within 20 nautical miles of the target, and the bomber could not fly off the deck of a carrier. While these liabilities made the Model 11 unsuitable for use by the Navy, the Japanese Air Force was keenly interested in it as a possible means of precision bombing, because the guidance problem had been solved another way—the Ohka would be designed to be guided by a pilot. That solution would later lead the Americans to dub the missile the “Buka,” which was the Japanese word for “stupid,” or “fool.”

Yet the men who would line up in Japan to volunteer to pilot those revolutionary craft were no stupid fools, but the brave souls who would come to be known in Japan as the Jinrai Butai, the Thunder Gods. A plan was already in the works to produce 750 of the Model 11 Ohka missiles, and there would be 750 men ready to pilot them, each one willing to give his life to deliver the weapon he controlled to its target. There, painted on the side of the fuselage of the Ohka, was the image of a cherry blossom, and when the Thunder Gods flew, their souls would fall like those fragile flowers when they died, but they would take many souls with them, or so it was believed.

For the Navy, the Model 22 Ohka seemed much more interesting. It would use a new engine, and have a much longer range. In fact, the Germans were planning to launch their own V-1s from France, flying them over the English Channel to hit targets all over England, and they could achieve a range of 250 Kilometers, delivering an 850kg warhead of Amatol. The Navy wanted a similar engine on the Okha, and Yamamoto knew exactly where he could find the blueprints—in the library of a most unusual ship that had come to him after that fateful and untimely eruption of Krakatoa off Java. While that explosive event had savaged Japanese troops ashore and at sea, it also delivered a new champion to the fleet, the strange men and their marvelous ship of war, the Takami.

They had told the Admiral they could defend the fleet with their own amazing radars and aerial rocket weapons, and even pose a challenge to the mysterious raider that had attacked Akagi and sunk the Hiryu. A plan had been hatched to launch an ambush when the Siberians boldly moved to invade northern Sakhalin Island, then called North Karafuto by the Japanese. One of Yamamoto’s most trusted Admirals, Kurita, led two of Japan’s fast new battleships north to escort Takami, and the carriers Tosa and Kaga joined to provide the air power.

Unfortunately, the plan failed, and now Takeo Kurita’s neck burned with shame as he came to report to Yamamoto, and explain why. He bowed low, a long and deep bow that would only be offered under such grave circumstances, and Yamamoto, knowing what was in the mind of his able officer, sat patiently until Kurita finally rose, eyes still averted, the shame a look of actual pain on his face. Then Yamamoto decided enough was enough.

“Very well,” he said. “I have seen, and quite clearly, that the mission recently concluded has not caused any more hair to grow on the top of that bald head of yours, Kurita. Make your report, but do not think, for a single moment, that I will entertain any thought of your resignation, and far less of any notion you may have of ending your life. You were sent to conduct an offensive operation, just as Nagumo was sent to Pearl Harbor, nothing more, nothing less. It so happens that both my warriors returned with casualties. So be it. Now tell me what happened.”

Kurita cleared his throat, taking some time to find his voice. “Sir,” he said. “The mission was not well coordinated, and I take full responsibility. I was prevailed upon to hold my battleships back, though I had every wish to close and engage this Mizuchi when it finally appeared. Yet this Captain Harada aboard Takami pleaded with me to refrain, and I was foolish enough to heed him. I should have advanced to engage when I saw how futile the strange rocket weapons he used were.”

“Futile? You saw them?”

“Of course. My battleships were out in front, some 20 miles ahead of the Takami. We first saw the enemy missiles firing, and my men beat to quarters to engage them.”

“Did you not heed the warning I gave you concerning these rockets?”

“I did sir, but I believed the armor on my ships was strong enough to prevail, and my gunners brave and skilled enough to defend my battleships. To do otherwise would be cowardice.”

“Yes, yes I have heard that from many others, and I do not wish to hear it again now. A man has a brave heart when he goes into any battle, but he must also have a head on his shoulders, and know when and how to fight. Did these missiles attack your ships?”

“One struck Hiraga, but for the most part, these rockets simply passed us by, six or seven in a long train, all heading south. I should have increased speed immediately to engage the enemy, but this Captain Harada…”

“You should have done no such thing. I sent you to the wreck of the Mutsu for a good reason, and now we have damage on Hiraga to repair. I will tell you that I second the movement suggested to you by Captain Harada, and it is very fortunate that you carried it out. Had you persisted in any attempt to engage this Mizuchi, you would have surely been visited by more of those naval rockets.”

“But sir, how can we defeat the enemy if we do not attack him?”

“That remains to be seen,” said Yamamoto. “Certainly Captain Harada hoped to use guile, and his own naval rockets to prevail. What happened to the air strike?”

“It was ill-coordinated. The carrier planes were late, the land based planes ineffective, and I must—”

“No Kurita, do not attempt to take that upon yourself either. It was the responsibility of the carrier commander to get his planes where they belonged, not yours. Frankly, when I discuss this further in a moment with your subordinate, Captain Harada, I expect I will learn that this battle could have ended in no other way. Everything depended on the rockets his ship carried. If they failed to find and hurt this Mizuchi, then there was nothing more your battleships were going to accomplish. At least both ships remain seaworthy, as well as both of our carriers. Hiraga has damage, but it will be repaired soon enough. Prepare your battleship squadron for further operations as soon as possible.”

“But sir, I…”

“But sir what? Do not think any shame you may feel in this failure exempts you from further duty here. Nagumo felt the same when he returned from Pearl Harbor with only three operational carriers. We fight, we take losses. Sometimes we prevail, and at other times our enemies will get the best of the situation. That is the end of it. That is war. It is clear to me now that I failed to place the adequate tools in your hands to complete this mission successfully. Two carriers were not sufficient. It would have taken at least four in my estimation, and your battleships should not have been where they were. As you can see, the range of these naval rockets makes such a strategy foolish. Only our carriers have the means to strike the enemy at long range. From now on, your battleships will serve as fast escorts, running with the carriers, and doing everything possible to protect them. So this will be my order to you. Get Hiraga operational again, and then prepare to join Carrier Division 3 with Hiraga and Satsuma. You will receive further orders in the near future. Understood?”

Kurita bowed again, then nodded.

“Good,” said Yamamoto. “Now then, I will see this Captain Harada and his executive officer next, and hear their report. But understand this—you did everything I asked of you, and so I order you to set down the burden that you now carry, just as I asked the same of Nagumo. This war is only beginning. I need every officer, and every ship we have. We had 15 carriers operational on December 7th, 1941. Now we have only eight operational, and six have been sunk. Zuiho Survived the 5th of May, but just barely. Even when that ship returns, our carrier fleet is nearly cut in half, though we are now commissioning the Taiho to try and redress those severe losses. That said, Taiho will likely be the only new aircraft carrier to join the fleet for many more months until Shinano is completed. So every one of our remaining carriers is now worth its displacement in gold. See that Carrier Division 2 is well guarded.”

That was that. Yamamoto had no room for shame ridden officers. The war was now going to enter a much more dangerous phase. The Americans had been hurt, and very badly, but it had taken those seven carriers lost in action to put that damage on them. Yamamoto knew that there were now at least seven or more enemy carriers building in the United States, while in Japan, only the Shinano would be ready for operations soon. That was a matter he would have to redress, and quickly.

He himself had already gone to the Emperor, his own head lowered with shame, to make his report. He knew this war would be costly, never expecting Japan to emerge from it unscathed, but these early losses were particularly severe. He had been forced to ask the Emperor to activate the emergency fleet expansion project that had been secretly planned before the war.

As for this Mizuchi, that ship was a monster of a different kind. Yes, it would have taken at least four good carriers to have any chance against that beast, he thought. But how many of them would survive? I had hopes that this Takami might weigh heavily in the balance, but apparently those hopes were ill-founded. Now I must find out why.

“Very well, send in this Captain Harada and his Executive Officer. That will be all.”

Chapter 47

“Then you have no more missiles to attack this Siberian ship?” Yamamoto had heard Harada’s report of the battle, the how and why of it all; the decisions made, missiles fired, and the outcome. Now his mind had moved on to the possibilities that lay ahead.

“No sir,” said Harada. “To have any chance at all against a ship like that, it was necessary to fire everything we had in one salvo. Admittedly, the odds were long, but we at least had some chance of scoring a hit. As I have told you, our ship was primarily designed as an air defense fleet asset. We are meant to operate in a task force of similar ships, guarding other important fleet assets.”

“Your modern day carriers?”

“Such as we have. The Japan of 2021 does not have very many aircraft carriers. A few helicopter carriers are now receiving a new plane, but otherwise, our navy was prohibited from building carriers, because they were deemed to be an offensive weapon, and the force was merely designed for defense after Japan’s defeat in this war.”

“I see…” said Yamamoto. There was that word again, defeat, and it was a hard one to bear. The images he had seen in the library of the Takami still haunted him, the burned out cities, the image of Musashi dying that gallant but horrible death. For all the power he felt beneath him as they sat there in his stateroom aboard Yamato, he knew his own flagship was also fated for destruction. It all seemed inevitable now, just as he feared at the opening of this war. It all seemed to be written, as it was in that library, and how could he ever hope to write that history otherwise? He realized, even now, that Japan had gone to war with the United States without any clear plan on how that enemy would be defeated.

“So now you are a fleet defense asset,” he said to Harada. “You have no further offensive capability?”

“We have a few torpedoes, though they are also defensive weapons, largely for use against enemy submarines. The explosive charge is under 100 pounds, only ten percent as compared to your own Type 93 torpedo. We might use some of our anti-aircraft missiles in an anti-shipping role, but only against very lightly armored targets. They would not put much hurt on a cruiser or even an American carrier of this era.”

“But this Mizuchi… It still has such weapons that can hit our ships?”

“If I may, sir,” said Fukada, “we aren’t exactly certain how many missiles they have, but twenty is a normal loadout on their main ship killers. They fired thirteen at us, and we stopped them all, except the one that struck Hiraga.”

“Thirteen?” said Yamamoto. “Interesting. They have already fired three at my carriers, so that make sixteen. And they fired three at Mutsu and Chikuma, so that makes 19. Are you suggesting they may only have one more of these naval rockets at their disposal?”

“We don’t know that for certain,” said Harada. “Yes, twenty is a normal loadout, but they may have been carrying more—at least they seemed to suggest they had a loaded gun still pointed at my head when we spoke with them.”

“Spoke with them?” This surprised Yamamoto.

“Yes,” said Harada, “we had a nice little parley with the enemy in the middle of the fight. They threatened us with further harm unless we withdrew. I called their bluff, but nothing else came of it. In the end, withdrawal was the wiser course, and I strongly recommended that to Kurita, though I know he wasn’t happy about it.”

“Very well,” said Yamamoto. “Even if this ship does have only one more of these rockets, it only took one to sink the Hiryu and one to send Akagi into the docks for four months. Let us assume they have at least that many, and possibly more.”

“I believe they do have more sir,” said Harada. “Missiles are bundled in groups, and then mounted in silos or compartments beneath the deck. They fired twelve of one type missile at us, a very deadly model that we call the Sunburn. It took a good many of our own missiles to stop them, but we got them all. Then, near the end of the engagement, they fired a different kind of missile at us, much faster, though with a smaller warhead. We used a special defense system I have not spoken of to target and kill this missile, but the point I am making is that it would be rare, indeed very odd, if such a missile were mounted alone. In fact, they are designed to work in groups and be fired in salvos. They hunt like a pack of wolves, and are even able communicate with each other and make independent decisions about targeting assignments. No, it would have to be in a module or group like the other missiles we faced. For this reason, I suggest they have more of that type. A small group might see four in one underdeck compartment, so I would say they have at least three more.”

“Unless those were the other three missiles they fired at the carriers,” said Fukada.

“They may have been the nest mates of the last missile they fired at us, yet we can’t be sure in any case,” said Harada.

“Then let us simply assume our enemy can still harm us,” said Yamamoto. “That is enough to guide our thinking here. However, the fact that his ordnance is limited is most interesting. I suppose I always knew this to be the case, but now it is more important, because we can threaten his ship and force him to use what he may have left, even if it costs us lives and ships to do so.”

“And it will,” said Harada. “Count on that, so choose the ships you want to expend carefully, and the men. I made such a threat, but the enemy failed to fire anything more at us. If they had, we might not be discussing this here.”

“Then you would agree that your ship has little offensive capability now.”

“True, but that does not mean we cannot be very useful. Our defensive capability is still available, and our electronic systems and radars can provide a great deal of situational awareness in a battle scenario. We can scout and find the enemy, and defend against air attack with an almost certain kill on any plane we target.”

“Until your own anti-aircraft missiles run out. Correct?”

“Correct.”

“And how many of these remain on your ship?”

“38 of one type, and 12 of another longer range variant.”

“So you can kill 50 planes. I suppose that is useful to know, for it represents a good part of an American carrier wing.” Yamamoto was filing all of this away into a compartment of his mind. There was no recrimination in his interaction with these men, and he did nothing whatsoever to shame them. They had done what they could, and failed to kill Mizuchi. Now he wanted only to ascertain how he might still integrate Takami into his fleet.

“Well gentlemen,” he said. “I must say that Admiral Kurita was none too happy when he left just now.”

“We could see that,” said Harada.

“He is a proud man, and perhaps I was remiss in putting him in a situation where he held the burden of command, while your knowledge of your own capabilities required you to intervene. I will not do this again. Henceforth, you will operate with our carriers. I will now take the advice offered to me by your Executive Officer earlier. Your ship will assist operations currently underway here in the south.”

“We would be honored, sir.”

“And you may be very busy. While you were away much has happened. Operation FS was launched, and initially with some success. We sank two enemy carriers in the Coral Sea and a third in the Koro Sea off Fiji. Yet for this we paid a very high price. Our own carrier fleet has nearly been cut in half. We lost Hiryu last December to this Mizuchi, then Gozo and Mezu were sunk in the Gilberts, Shokaku in the Coral Sea, and the hardest blow of all fell on that Koro Sea battle. There we lost Zuikaku and Shoho.”

“Those are very heavy losses,” said Fukada.

“Heavy indeed. At the moment we have 8 carriers operational. Kaga and Akagi are repaired and constitute Carrier Division 1. Soryu and Tosa form Carrier Division 2. The new carrier Taiho was commissioned in June, well ahead of schedule, and is presently in sea trials. Beyond that, we have three smaller carriers, the Hiyo, Junyo and Taiyo. I would like to assign your ship to Carrier Division 3. It will operate under Hara with the new Taiho, and two of the light carriers. I have a new mission in mind, but first you must understand the present situation.”

“Operation FS?” asked Fukada.

“It was partially successful. We have troops on Fiji, but so does the enemy. Their Marine Division has landed there, and it has been a bit of a slugfest. At first it appeared as if they might push us right into the sea, but we were able to reinforce our garrison. Yet keeping them supplied is now a daily burden. By day, planes we send to Nandi duel with their own planes at Suva Bay. By night, we send in fresh troops and supplies on fast cruisers and destroyers from Noumea. Their own carrier force remains in the area, though it now operates from Samoa as a forward base.”

“Which carriers survived?”

“Enterprise and Wasp. They also have the two hybrids that could return to the theater at any time, and a small escort carrier, more a seaplane tender, the Langley.”

“Excuse me sir, two hybrids?”

“Yes, they fought the French fleet before your arrival, sinking the Bearn, and even jousted briefly with one of our own light carriers. One was damaged in that action and sent to Pearl Harbor, but I must assume it has been repaired.”

“French fleet?” said Fukada. “I don’t understand.”

“It was just a few destroyers, light cruisers, and the one carrier, which the Americans quickly sunk.”

“Do you know the name of these ships—the hybrids you mention.”

“Antietam, and Shiloh. I believe those are battles from their Civil War.”

“Yes,” said Harada, “but we’ve not heard of those ships, at least not this early in the war.”

“Antietam was a long hull Essex class ship,” said Fukada. “Yet it did not appear until very late in the war, and there was no carrier by the name of Shiloh in WWII. Nor was there ever an engagement with the French fleet.”

“Nor a ship by the name of Takami, or another we call Mizuchi,” said Yamamoto. “Perhaps you gentlemen need to spend some time in our ship’s library.”

“It appears so,” said Harada, looking at Fukada.

Yamamoto continued. “There are three operations before the navy now. The first is the continuation of Operation FS. The second the persistence of this enemy raider in the north, Mizuchi, and the action on Karafuto. I fear neither one will have an easy or a speedy solution. My choices are limited. I can split the fleet 60/40 and try to bring one or another theater to a decisive resolution in our favor. May I ask you whether you think a massed fleet effort would prevail over this Mizuchi?”

“A massed effort,” said Harada. “You mean with many more carriers? That would be hard to say.”

“What if I were to assign four carriers to attack this ship?”

“Then they should all be grouped together, and Takami would have to be slightly forward of that group as an air defense picket. Any attempt to confront this raider on your own would likely only result in more losses to your carrier fleet. Of this I am almost certain. But with us present, our missile shield could defend you, and perhaps your strike wings could get something through, but you should expect heavy losses.”

“From the anti-aircraft missiles on this ship?”

“Yes sir. It is a much larger ship than Takami, and carries many more missiles.”

“How many more?”

“Fukada?”

“Over a hundred medium range, and perhaps another 30 to 40 longer range missiles after those they expended against our attack. Beyond that, they have very potent close in defense systems. Even planes that manage to get through the missile shield will face conventional gunfire that is lethal, and even more short range missiles. This Mizuchi, as you call it, is one of the best defended ships in the world—even in our world of 2021, and certainly in this one.”

“And if I chose to use two carrier divisions here in the south? What then?”

“Operate together in one group. Only then can we provide you with the defense you need. Our missiles, while they last, can strongly augment your own fighter defenses, though we would have to discuss how to coordinate that. Your fighters would have to be held back until our missile defense was expended, so as to minimize the risk of hitting our own aircraft by mistake.”

“Of course,” said Yamamoto. “And which of these operations do you deem the most important, the most decisive?”

Harada raised his eyebrows. “Getting Kirov—Mizuchi—would certainly be decisive if it could be accomplished. Without that ship there can be no further operations supported against Sakhalin. It would basically shut down that northern front, because your naval air power could then stop any replenishment effort for troops the Siberians have already landed. Then again, breaking the last of the American carrier capability in the south, and becoming masters of the waters around Fiji, could be equally decisive. Your control of that island goes a long way towards isolating Australia, and if you do sink those remaining enemy carriers, it will be a good long while before the Americans can do anything more offensively in the Pacific.”

“My thoughts exactly, “said Yamamoto. “Karafuto is a nuisance at the moment. The enemy has a foothold in the north, but we have sent the remainder of the 7th Division from Hokkaido, and the 54th and 53th Divisions are still available on northern Honshu. Those forces can easily create a stalemate there, but driving off or destroying the American carriers produces a rather dramatic shift in the balance of power now being contested.”

“Sir,” said Fukada. “You said there were three operations earlier. May I ask what the third is?”

“The British,” said Yamamoto. “The Indian Ocean. We had planned a raid there, to strike the British fleet at Colombo. The eruption of the volcano that preceded your arrival here put an end to those plans, but that ceded control of the entire Indian Ocean to the British. They are fighting us in Burma, and the Army wants support. In effect, they want us to become masters of the Indian Ocean as well.”

“How big is the British naval presence there?”

“They have two aircraft carriers, possibly three by now, and a number of surface ships. I was considering sending Carrier Division 3 there, well supported with surface ships, to see about this problem.”

“Then you want Takami in the Indian Ocean?” said Harada. “And where might you elect to campaign?”

“Against the American concentration around Fiji. I deem it the most strategic sector of the front. However, what you have just said concerning our chances of dealing with this Mizuchi is most sobering. It is obvious that a single carrier division cannot do the job. It is also apparent to me that as long as this ship remains at large, we can pose no real threat to the enemy lines of communications back to their northern port at Magadan. But soon it will be winter again, and that front will freeze over and become dormant. The ice will prevent Siberian ships from landing at Okha in the north, and they will have only their airship fleet to deliver supplies. Given that we have already stopped their attempt to push into southern Karafuto, I believe that front will soon become stagnant, allowing me to safely proceed with operations in the South Pacific.”

“A wise course,” said Harada. “Now sir, how can we assist you?”

Chapter 48

“Colombo,” said Yamamoto. “I want that base neutralized. To do so would not only serve to support our troops in Burma, but also cut British communications with India, and further isolate Australia by preventing any supply convoys from reaching it via the Indian Ocean.”

“That is a taller order than it may seem,” said Harada. “This attack you speak of was made in the history we know, but it was only a raid if I am not mistaken.” He looked at Fukada now.

“Yes sir, the Indian Ocean Raid. It should have already happened by now, a raid led by Admiral Nagumo, and with six carriers, three fleet carriers, and three lighter carriers. The battle was not a strategic victory for Japan, as no effort was ever made to occupy Ceylon. Doing that would have removed two vital British bases from the theater, Colombo and Trincomalee, and also put the Indian port of Madras under Japanese airpower from those same bases. It never happened, and the carrier duels and surface actions were inconsequential. The British fell back on Madagascar temporarily, which they had already taken from the French, and then built up again on Ceylon, remaining masters of the Indian Ocean for the remainder of the war. If you are going to do this, sir, may I respectfully suggest a full hearted commitment of the resources necessary to win?”

Yamamoto nodded. “Given the heavy losses to our carriers, that may not be easy—a tall order as you say. It was my plan to use Carrier Division 3, and then combine Carrier Divisions 1 and 2 for operations around Fiji. As for any invasion and subsequent occupation of Ceylon, that will depend greatly on the Army’s cooperation. Troop commitments are already strained, but something might be found. At the moment, your orders will be to sail for Singapore and rendezvous with Carrier Division 3. That group will be composed of the new fleet carrier Taiho, and light carriers Hiyo and Junyo. Between the three, there will be a little over 150 planes at Admiral Hara’s disposal, and he will be your commanding officer. Taiho is a new direction in carrier design. It has armored flight decks, and side armor as well. Our carriers are fast and efficient, but fragile. Taiho will correct that deficiency.”

“It was sunk by a single torpedo fired by an American submarine,” said Fukada, which gave Yamamoto pause.

“It is frustrating to hear such a thing,” he said. “The futility of everything I do now is made apparent to me each time you open your mouth!”

“Forgive me, sir. I say this only by way of warning, and in the hope that it will be something we can prevent. Taiho had a design flaw that failed to properly vent fumes from aviation gas. Her bomb and torpedo magazines were well protected, but there were empty spaces around the aviation gas bunkers, and fumes built up in those spaces. They should be filled with sand or concrete immediately. That would help eliminate the problem and also provide a splinter shield for those bunkers. Beyond that, damage control failures were the real reason for the carrier’s demise. A few of our engineers might be posted to that ship and help with that training. And with Takami present, our sonar will assure that submarine attack never takes place. Forewarned is forearmed, sir. That is all I was trying to convey.”

“Very well,” said Yamamoto, “as your foresight is so keen, then let me ask you another question. It concerns access to materials in your library.”

Harada did not know why, but that put him just a little on edge.

“What would you need, sir?”

“There is a program underway in certain research centers involving the use of these rocket motors. When you made that little demonstration off Davao, I was quite surprised, initially thinking it to be the fruits of this research. Surprise was not half a word for what I felt when you revealed the truth of your identity to me. You have showed me the end of the road we now walk with this war, and all in an effort to persuade me not to undertake this journey. As we have seen, events had a gravity of their own, and here we are. I do not think it will ever be possible to undo the steps we have already taken on this path. Once the order was given to Climb Mount Niitaka, our course was set. Yet the end I saw in the photographs from your library is too dark to contemplate. No sane man would ever wish to lead his nation to such a disaster. So now I ask you to help me reach a different end, and one that preserves the integrity of our nation, and spares our people the horrors I saw in your books and photographs.”

“We are willing to help in any way we can,” said Harada. It was a case of in for a penny, in for a pound, as the British might say.

“These rocket weapons you possess,” said Yamamoto, “are they clearly the future in terms of the projection of military power at sea?”

“A place remains for the aircraft carrier. That was proved here, and the United States continues to rely on carrier based air power even in our time. They use those planes to protect their ships, just as you do now, but if any get through, then medium to close range air defense is largely a case of missiles against planes, or other missiles, and certain powers now also see the missile as the only foil to carrier based naval supremacy.”

“Then you may already know that both Germany and Japan are working on these weapons now.”

“Yes sir, and we know the outcome of that research as well.”

Yamamoto nodded, a wry smile on his face. “How strange to think I hesitate briefly here to reveal what is now a military secret, for you are men who have seen the end of all these events. So you must certainly know that we have a weapon in development, a rocket powered craft we call the Okha.”

“Yes sir,” said Fukada. “However, it did not reach deployment until it was too late to make much difference in the outcome of the war. By then, the American carriers had decided the issue, and it was only a matter of time.”

“Time and that other terror weapon I saw images of over Hiroshima,” said Yamamoto. “Knowing that, I wish to find a way for our carriers to decide the issue here before that weapon makes the outcome of this war inevitable.”

“The American project that delivered that weapon is only now beginning in earnest,” said Fukada. “If the history we know is any guide, it will take them three years.”

Yamamoto considered that. “But if we achieve a decisive outcome here before that, perhaps the negotiated settlement you suggested to me might be possible.”

“That gets more and more unlikely with each battle fought,” said Harada.

“Then you believe there is no hope? How can I proceed here knowing that the sum of everything I do leads to defeat and the destruction of our nation?”

“Sir,” said the Captain, “Mister Fukada has just explained how the fate of the Taiho could be brightened considerably. In the same way, the future you saw in our library might still be avoided. Negotiations may still be possible, but to force the Americans to the table, we would have to demonstrate that a military victory would be impossible for the them to achieve.”

“Winning the battles we have just discussed would be a necessary first step,” said Fukada. “Yes, dominate the Indian Ocean, defeat the Americans on Fiji, occupy Samoa, destroy the last of the American fleet carriers. These things are still within your grasp now. You can still prevail, and we can help you. We could not defeat our enemy, but our ship can still tip the balance decisively in one more key engagement. Given that, it may be wise to consider another attack on Mizuchi.”

“But you have just told me you have no further offensive capability.”

“But you do, sir. Your carriers do, and if enough of them were grouped in one massive attack, you might get hits, and it will only take one or two to cause significant damage. Modern ships are not well armored. Their defense relies on missiles.”

“I see,” said Yamamoto. “Yet that would put every carrier I might assign to such a mission at risk. Surely that is the case in every operation of war, but Mizuchi seems to hit anything it fires at. Nagumo’s description of the death of Hiryu was none too pleasant.”

“They failed to hit Takami,” said Fukada. “And they tried thirteen times. In the same way, the missiles we still have could protect your carriers, and then it would be simply a matter of swarming the defender with as many planes as possible.”

“You are forgetting the speed demons,” said Harada, prompting Yamamoto to give him a quizzical look. “I’m sorry sir, but the last missile Mizuchi fired at us, the one I mentioned earlier, was very fast—twice the speed of the first twelve we defeated. The missiles we fired at it failed to acquire the target, and it was only our last ditch inner defense that scored the lucky hit. Yet if it had failed to do so, Takami would most likely have been sunk. If the enemy has more of these fast missiles, then our ability to defend your carriers may not be absolute.”

“True,” said Fukada, “but if we do not attack, and Takami expends its remaining missiles in other operations, then your chances of killing Mizuchi diminish considerably.”

“So you are saying we may have only one last chance,” said Yamamoto. “I understand. And if the enemy has more missiles than you believe, and they are these speed demons, as Captain Harada describes them, then what?”

Before Fukada could argue that away, Harada spoke up first. “If they were to fire a salvo of four or five such missiles, assuming they still had them, then we might get one of them, two at the most. The others would reach a target. And one thing more. This ship also carries torpedoes—533mm with a 300kg warhead capable of ranging out 50 kilometers. It also has another model that is one part rocket, and one part torpedo. It fires into the water, ignites its rocket engine while submerged, then emerges from the sea to approach the target. It can then deploy as a torpedo, or a depth charge in the sea, and that rocket extends the range to 120 kilometers.”

“Quite sobering,” said Yamamoto. “That is three times the maximum range of our Type 93 torpedoes. Hopefully it would miss at such a range. Our own units do not fire the Type 93 at its maximum range for that same reason.”

“Unfortunately, this torpedo will be much more accurate than your Type 93. It uses what we call inertial guidance, not the best way to find a target, but much better than anything used in this war. The fact that it closes most of the range as a rocket in the sky, is also a factor. Hopefully we might be able to shoot one down, unless it deploys into the sea again as a torpedo.”

Yamamoto nodded. “I will consider what you have said here. Risking the carriers also gambles with the edge we presently have relative to the Americans. They are the real enemy. I do not think Mizuchi could ever win the war against us, or that the Siberians could ever successfully invade Japan. As for the Americans….”

“Agreed, sir.” Harada decided not to speak of the possibility that Kirov harbored nuclear weapons. Instead he focused on the battle against the United States. “The next six to eight months will be decisive. Mizuchi certainly remains a threat, but for now, at this moment, the carriers still rule the Pacific. So fight your war as you would if our ship were never here, Admiral. Fight your war with those carriers, and win.”

Yamamoto nodded. “I thank you for your cooperation, and your enthusiasm, in spite of the recent setbacks. In considering that, I wish to ask one more thing. We know the Americans are building a new class of aircraft carrier. What can you tell me about this?”

“The Essex Class,” said Fukada. “Those ships will form the heart of the US naval force in this war. They are over 60 feet longer and wider abeam than the Yorktown Class, and much heavier at nearly 37,000 tons, full load. Later models will get even heavier, but they are still every bit as fast as Yorktown was at 32 knots. They will also have much better anti-aircraft defense, and over 60mm of armor on the main flight deck. These were fairly durable ships, with 100mm side armor as well. They also have an interesting innovation in the deployment of a deck-edge elevator in addition to two inboard elevators. But their real virtue is the air wing, at least 90 planes, and the Yorktown carried up to 110.”

“Yorktown? We sunk that ship.”

“They will rename many of their new Essex Class carriers after the ships they lost early in the war—Yorktown, Lexington, and Hornet will all sail again as new Essex Class carriers, and I suppose the Wasp, if you manage to sink that one.”

“All of them? How many of these carriers will they build?” asked Yamamoto.

“The first arrives this year, the Essex. In 1943, six more join the fleet, and in 1944 they will commission another seven, with at least three more ready in 1945…. Before the war ends, if it does end the way it did before.”

“Then they are presently building more carriers than we started the war with,” said Yamamoto.

“And that is just the Essex Class,” said Fukada.

“They will also deploy a light carrier, the Independence Class, ships that were converted from their Cleveland Class Cruisers. They will carry only 33 aircraft, but they will commission at least nine of those ships in 1943.”

“Bringing nearly 300 more enemy planes to sea,” said Yamamoto, somewhat discouraged. “This was my greatest fear, that tremendous industrial might of the United States. They will build new carriers faster than we can sink them!”

“Unfortunately, sir, I must regretfully report that not one of the Essex Class Carriers were sunk in the war. Many were hit and damaged, but none sunk.”

“Yet that history may not repeat,” said Harada. “You have already inflicted more losses on the American Carrier fleet than occurred in the history we know. At the moment, the Americans remain very vulnerable.”

“But six months from now they should have at least three new Essex Class carriers,” Fukada warned, “and five of the smaller Independence Class.” He wanted no misunderstanding as to what may be coming.

“So in that time they will replace all their losses,” said Yamamoto, “and they will match our fleet carrier for carrier, including the ships we presently have nearing completion. This is exactly what I feared, and why I had to go to the Emperor to request we activate the emergency fleet expansion program. We call it the shadow fleet, and phase one of this program was already activated in 1940, for many of our own carriers were converted from battlecruisers, seaplane tenders and even fast tankers or ocean liners. All three ships in the Tosa Class were once battlecruisers, and now I must share yet another state secret with you. The Tosa Class battlecruisers were not the only hulls completed for new ships of that nature. Four hulls were laid down in our Amagi Class, and two hulls in the Kii Class. Only two of those six ships were ever commissioned as actual battlecruisers, our Amagi and Kagami, but the other hulls have been fitted out with propulsion systems, and all the interior spaces are completed—except they were not designed as battlecruisers, but carriers.”

“You mean you have other carriers in the pipeline?”

“Correct. We can build a carrier on one of those four hulls twice as fast as we might build a battlecruiser or battleship. Even the third of the Yamato Class hulls was converted to build a carrier under this program, the largest in the world when it is completed—Shinano. We also have several smaller carriers in the shadow fleet program, conversions from fast liners and such.”

“Will any be ready soon?”

“Not soon enough, as far as my needs are concerned. Here we are discussing how to manage a war on three fronts, and there will never be enough carriers to go around. We are fortunate that the design of Taiho was accelerated before the war, and I suppose we still have the battleship proponents to thank for the innovations in that ship. We will take your advice concerning those empty spaces around the aviation fuel bunkers, and better damage control. As for the bigger hulls now under conversion, the two ships in the Amagi Class will be the first to appear, perhaps within six to eight months if the resources can be found. We have named them Mikasa and Shirane. Much effort is being made to complete Shinano as well.”

“Interesting…. That ship was not ordered converted to a carrier until the Midway disaster,” said Fukada. “Nor was Taiho built this early. In fact, it was the need for more toughness and durability at sea that led to the ideas put into that carrier. Very strange.”

“I won a few arguments in 1940,” said Yamamoto. “That is why we even have these abandoned hulls intact for these projects. As for toughness, the side armor was already there for Mikasa and Shirane when they were laid down as battlecruisers. The armored deck idea was taken from the British when we obtained the plans for their Illustrious Class carriers. Frankly, if I had my way I would gladly trade this massive battleship we stand on now, and its sister ship Musashi, for two more fleet carriers. The loss of both Zuikaku and Shokaku has set us back a great deal. It seems I have avoided this Midway disaster you speak of, but the 5th of May in the Koro Sea was a hard day for us. Believe me, our shipyards have been very busy ever since that day.”

“Let us hope you can produce these ships in time,” said Harada.

“Alright, gentlemen, I see now what we are up against, and what you say is true, the next six to eight months will be the crucial time. If we do not prevail now, then it may not matter whether Shinano and other conversion programs like Shirane ever set sail. We still have five fleet carriers, and they have only two. Now is the time to win this war, and you can do your part in the Indian Ocean.”

“Sir, when would you want this operation to begin?”

“Not for some time. The fleet is reorganizing along the lines we have discussed. Take your ship to Davao. A tanker will be waiting off shore for you to refuel. From there you will proceed to Singapore. The ash from that volcano is still a persistent haze in that region. It has been erupting off and on for months, so have a care. The Sunda Strait is still a very dangerous place. Once you arrive, refuel again and wait for Admiral Hara’s task force. He will transmit your orders at that time.”

The meeting ended on a high note, for all present could still take some solace from their superiority in carrier numbers. But their calculus was already off, for even as they spoke, the USS Essex was slipping out to sea on her maiden voyage. It was not supposed to be commissioned until December of 1942, reaching the Pacific in July after an extensive series of sea trials. But many things in the history were askew, and the Essex program was also accelerated. The need being so great, the ship was already enroute to the Pacific, and so the four carriers Yamamoto hoped to challenge the Americans with off Fiji, might soon be facing three on the American side. Yet no one knew that when the meeting ended.

They would know it soon enough.