Aviation-Centric Combined Fleet

INDIAN OCEAN CAMPAIGN | Chapter 34

The Navy Minister's Plot

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February 1942

A certain Navy restaurant

At the beginning of the year, at the pretext of congratulating Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, who took command at the forefront during the attack on Oahu, Navy Minister Hori, Navy Chief of Staff Shiozawa, and the Combined Fleet commander Yoshida as his fellow 32nd class members gathered at a well-guarded Navy-approved restaurant.

"Expedition to the Pacific Fleet's base in Hawaii was truly challenging. With the action of the 1st Mobile Fleet, the air power of Oahu was annihilated, and on top of that, they sank the new battleships Washington and North Carolina, as an added bonus, turning Pearl Harbor literally into a sea of flames. Particularly, the destruction of the military port facilities in Pearl Harbor had an immeasurable impact on the American military, especially on their logistics. Truly a perfect score, or rather, not even enough with 120 points."

Responding with a modest smile to the unusual compliment from Shiozawa, Yamamoto was recalling the attack on Oahu, commonly known as the Hawaii Operation. The early stages of the battle successfully involved two Zero squadrons in fighter sweeps and bombing raids on the Oahu airfield, leading to the destruction of the American air forces in that area. The performance of the Zero fighters and the skill of the pilots were overwhelming. According to the reports from the pilots, the kill ratio against American fighters was, without a doubt, 20 to 1, and even the analysts confirmed a minimum of 10 to 1.

After eliminating the threat of the American air forces, the waterborne strike force, centered around the battleships Nagato and Mutsu, successfully approached Oahu and lured out the American surface strike force defending the island. Subsequently, 144 Type 1 carrier attack planes, trained by Lieutenant Commander Higai, conducted a night torpedo attack, inflicting a significant blow on the enemy. In the process, they successfully sank two new battleships, Washington and North Carolina, and also destroyed numerous cruisers and destroyers. Furthermore, the next day, they thoroughly bombed the infrastructure of Oahu, including military facilities, power plants, and water purification plants, while simultaneously annihilating coastal artillery.

Having completely deprived Oahu of its ability to counterattack, Yamamoto decided to send the surface strike force to the island to conduct naval gunfire. The Nagato and Mutsu, along with four Myōkō-class heavy cruisers, fired over 3.000 rounds of 41 cm and 20 cm shells, causing a rain of destruction on Pearl Harbor. As a result, the burning heavy oil flowed into Pearl Harbor, causing a fire, and the harbor facilities also went up in flames. Furthermore, on their way back, they scattered mines around Oahu and, as a parting gift, dealt a final blow to the recovering Midway Atoll.

"With the complete destruction of the Pacific Fleet and now Oahu Island, President Roosevelt will find himself in an extremely difficult position. It might be safe to say that his approval ratings have entered dangerous territory," Hori commented with a slightly malicious smile on his face, following Shiozawa.

Yamamoto, though briefed on the details later, knew that the Japanese government had released a statement to the world after the attack on Oahu.

"The Japanese government fought on Oahu Island and expressed heartfelt condolences to the fallen American soldiers. The battle for Oahu was intense, but if President Roosevelt had prioritized his own country instead of Europe, sending forces to Oahu, we might have faced defeat. The soldiers defending Oahu were that formidable. In this battle, we emerged victorious, but the main factor may have been President Roosevelt's misguided policies, merely wanting to please the allied nations. He allocated more than 80% of the United States' war resources to the war in Europe, or more precisely, the war against Germany. Due to President Roosevelt's misguided war leadership, the Americans were forced into a difficult battle with limited forces. Nevertheless, we fought for our loved ones, and we sincerely hope that the United States government will provide generous compensation and protection to the families of the fallen soldiers for the future."

Yamamoto saw through the fact that Hori was the one who set up this statement like a paper bomb. The Imperial Army, capable only of inspiring the nation with bold words, could not possibly engage in such antics. Therefore, he straightforwardly inquired about the true intention.

"The true intention or whatever it is, considering that we'll have to make peace with them in the near future, it's essential to maintain a positive image of Japan in their citizens' minds. That's why I merely appealed to the American people not to resent Japan but to prioritize the Atlantic over the Pacific, in other words, to blame Roosevelt for the misguided allocation of military forces. In reality, using our statement as leverage, the opposition Republicans are attacking Roosevelt. Well, for now, things seem to be going according to our plan. But if, for example, we had attempted something like the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, it would have likely provoked the anger of the American people and resulted in the opposite outcome."

With a touch of sarcasm towards the once fervently advocated Pearl Harbor surprise attack plan by Yamamoto, Hori continued.

"Also, I've already discussed this with Shiozawa and Yoshida, but we've received a formal request from Germany to dispatch the Imperial Navy's forces to the Indian Ocean to annihilate the Eastern Fleet anchored in that region. It's unfolding just as we anticipated."