The previous day, the 1st Mobile Fleet repelled enemy aircraft and naval strike forces with Zero fighters and Type 1 attackers. The only remaining direct threat for them, aside from submarines, was the battery group known as the Oahu Fort.
In response, 96 Type 1s launched from eight Amagi-class aircraft carriers unleashed a fierce bombardment. Despite the overwhelming advantage of Oahu's battery group against naval vessels, they proved surprisingly vulnerable to aerial attacks. If Oahu had formidable fortifications using battleship turrets, the situation might have been different. However, such defenses were absent on Oahu. Additionally, the escorting Zero fighters each carried a 250 kg bomb under their belly, providing further attacks on any targets missed by the Type 1s.
Meanwhile, Zero fighters and Type 1s launched from four Yamato-class aircraft carriers bombed various airfields on Oahu. The Zero fighter squadrons, in particular, relentlessly targeted construction vehicles involved in runway repair operations, turning them into Swiss cheese with their 20 mm shells.
In the afternoon, the fleet entrusted fleet air defense to the Zero fighters attacking Oahu, allowing the previously engaged Zero fighter squadrons to take off. 144 Zeros primarily bombed the anti-aircraft positions guarding Pearl Harbor, systematically destroying anti-aircraft guns, machine guns, and other defenses.
The following day, leaving only a small number of fighters for fleet air defense, Zero fighters and Type 1s launched a full-scale assault. Their targets included military facilities such as radar bases and factories, as well as power plants, substations, bridges, and roads—critical components of the island's infrastructure. The Zero fighters and Type 1s generously scattered old bombs as if disposing of excess inventory. The only facilities left unscathed after these attacks were schools, hospitals, and a few other locations.
Believing that they had completely neutralized Oahu's ability to counterattack, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto directed the surface strike force toward the waters off Pearl Harbor. Battleships Nagato and Mutsu were accompanied by four heavy cruisers and destroyers each. These surface strike forces, approaching the coastline for close-range bombardment, faced the looming threat of torpedo boats and submarines. To counter this, numerous Zero fighters and Type 1s were sent to seal off any underwater or surface threats.
"All ships, commence firing!"
Following the commander's order, the main guns of the Nagato and Mutsu roared to life. The 41 cm shells carried by these battleships weighed a ton each, equivalent to the maximum payload of a Type 1 attacker. Moreover, their high velocity translated to immense firepower. These one-ton shells pierced through the facilities of Pearl Harbor's naval base one after another. The fatal blow came with the bombardment of the oil tank group. While heavy oil is typically difficult to ignite, it proved insignificant in the face of the heat and impact released by the 41 cm shells. Burning heavy oil leaked from the tank group overlooking Pearl Harbor flowed into the harbor, engulfing small boats and target ships that remained in the bay one after another.
Furthermore, recognizing the absence of enemy counterattacks, the commander of the surface strike force ordered the four heavy cruisers to open fire. Myōkō, Haguro, Nachi, and Ashigara each unleashed their main guns towards designated targets. Even though the 20 cm shells, weighing only one-eighth of the 41 cm shells, fell under the category of lighter artillery by Army standards, their near 30.000-meter range made them sufficiently effective for ground attacks. In the end, the combined forces of the Nagato and Mutsu from the surface strike force fired over 1.000 41 cm shells, while the four Myōkō-class heavy cruisers fired over 2.000 20 cm shells into Pearl Harbor. With well over 1.200 tons of iron and explosives hammered into it and further baptized with scorching heavy oil, Pearl Harbor literally turned into a purgatory.
However, the 1st Mobile Fleet's assault did not end there. Having secured complete air and sea dominance, a specially equipped minelayer accompanying the supply fleet scattered mines around Oahu. Various types of mines, including contact mines and magnetic mines, were generously deployed into the sea. Simultaneously, extensive anti-submarine operations were carried out. All Type 1 attackers, as if engaging in anti-submarine exercises, took turns launching from each carrier. Reconnaissance planes and observation seaplanes mounted on large surface vessels also dispersed in all directions to search for underwater enemies. The Imperial Navy was highly conscious of submarines, recognized as the natural enemies of aircraft carriers second only to aircraft. Aircraft released from carriers and surface vessels discovered one by one the American submarines that had been monitoring the single aircraft carrier and sank two of them.
On the return journey, another aerial bombardment was carried out on Midway Atoll, which was busy with recovery efforts. Additionally, destroyers, which had seen little action in the attack on Oahu, were instructed to conduct naval gunfire on the island. Originally requested by the destroyer squadron commander, it was not openly disclosed, but the primary purpose was to allow the crew members of the destroyers to let off steam. Yamamoto understood the dissatisfaction among destroyer crew members and allowed it, knowing that returning home with such negative emotions would not be ideal.
In this series of battles, the decisive factor that determined the outcome for the single aircraft carrier and Oahu was undoubtedly the disparity in fighter aircraft strength. While the US military could muster only around 250 aircraft, combining Army, Navy, and Marine Corps forces, the 1st Mobile Fleet had prepared a formidable 624 fighter aircraft—more than two and a half times the opposing force. Moreover, both the aircraft performance and the skill of the pilots were clearly superior on the side of the single aircraft carrier. Therefore, the actual disparity in military strength was likely several times greater. The 1st Mobile Fleet won because it was prepared to win.
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Aviation-Centric Combined Fleet
Historical Fiction「It is no longer the era of battleships. From now on, airplanes are the mainstay of the Navy.」 Which one is it? The doctrine of big ships and big guns or perhaps air power? The power struggle within the Navy, however, takes an unexpected turn. Due t...
