Aviation-Centric Combined Fleet

Chapter 49 - The British Empire

In the battle that would later be known as the Batte of the North Atlantic, during which the Japanese First, Third, and Fourth Fleets, equipped with a total of 306 Type 1 carrier attack planes, sank five aircraft carriers and nine battleships with just a single blow. With more than 20 torpedo bombers per ship, each piloted by skilled crewmen, it was not an impossible feat for the main fleets of both the British and American forces to be annihilated. Furthermore, preceding the attack of the Type 1s, 144 bomb-equipped Zero fighters targeted cruisers and destroyers forming the outer ring of the formation, achieving a success rate of destroying half of them. Additionally, the 48 bomb-equipped Zeros and 102 torpedo-equipped Type 1s from the Second Fleet, which had refrained from attacking until the end, targeted the surviving cruisers and destroyers, sinking almost all of them. With the Italian fleet initiating a charge from the moment victory in the naval air battle was secured, they managed to eliminate the remaining cruisers and destroyers, concluding the sea battle.

Meanwhile, a battle over the skies of mainland Britain occurred amidst the ongoing fleet showdown between Japan and Italy on one side and the UK and the US on the other. This battle ended in a decisive victory for the German side. While the British Royal Air Force had significantly weakened due to the transfer of many ace pilots to carrier air groups, the German side, in addition to the Western Front air force, also deployed the Eastern Front air force and received assistance from the Italian Air Force, creating a substantial disparity in strength.

After eliminating the nuisance of the British and American fleets and witnessing the collapse of British mainland air power, the 1st Mobile Fleet initiated the second phase of the operation—engaging in commerce raiding. The 1st Mobile Fleet consists of four mobile fleets, numbered one through four. One of these is assigned to the task of disrupting sea lanes, while the remaining three handle movements, maintenance, resupply, and occasionally training or minor modifications. Although only one mobile fleet is actively involved in operational activities at any given time, each fleet has four aircraft carriers, allowing for division into two or even four fleets if necessary. Since there were no aircraft carriers or fast battleships left in the British and American fleets that could counter Japan, the Japanese could essentially act freely. In practice, the mobile fleets involved in the mission primarily focused on hunting British merchant ships using two groups of two aircraft carriers each.

After the start of the operation, Japanese aircraft carriers became a grim reaper for British merchant ships. For the mobile fleet with superior reconnaissance and attack capabilities surpassing U-boats, British merchant ships were nothing more than prey. In response, U-boat units and the Luftwaffe dedicated their full efforts to defeating Britain. Exploiting the vulnerability of the significantly weakened British naval escort units due to the loss of numerous destroyers and skilled sailors in the Battle of the North Atlantic, U-boats wreaked havoc. Furthermore, the German Kriegsmarine, in addition to its own mines, generously deployed mines donated by Japan and Italy in major port areas, delivering further blows to the British maritime routes.

With the absence of British nuisance fighters like the Spitfire and Hurricane in the skies over mainland Britain, the Luftwaffe freely conducted flights, engaging in daily bombings and shootings. Notably, they conducted decisive actions such as bombing food factories and markets, and even mobilized outdated and civilian planes for incendiary bombings in granary zones, exacerbating the already dire food situation for the British population. As a result, starvation became rampant among the lower class, and only the affluent, able to buy exorbitantly priced food on the black market, avoided hunger. Children of the common folk became emaciated, and lives that could have been saved with sufficient medical supplies were rapidly lost due to their scarcity. Moreover, malnutrition and famine easily propagated epidemics, further worsening the shortage of pharmaceuticals. Additionally, in certain regions, bombings caused severe damage to infrastructure, leading to extremely poor sanitary conditions that accelerated the spread of diseases.

Furthermore, whether due to the instigation of German agents or not, looting and destruction targeting shops and food warehouses, as well as frequent riots, are occurring. As people, driven to aggression by hunger, overflow the streets of Britain, there is also a continuous stream of individuals losing not only physical strength but also mental resilience due to illness and hunger. With the drastic increase in crime, the police are in a state of surrender, and hospitals can do nothing but watch as patients succumb to death.

The prevailing sentiment was no longer just war-weariness. Under these circumstances, continuing the war was simply not possible. The health and lives of the citizens were exposed to a level of danger that could not be tolerated. In this situation, Britain had no choice but to opt for a de facto surrender under the guise of a ceasefire agreement.

Following the ceasefire agreement between Germany and Britain, unexpected orders were given to the British naval officers and sailors. They were instructed not to scuttle their ships, and each vessel was to head towards a specified port. British naval officers and sailors, who had anticipated a similar fate imposed by Germany, recalling the humiliation of scuttling at Scapa Flow after World War I, found this order perplexing. In reality, the remaining British vessels had already been agreed upon for effective utilization between Japan, Germany, and Italy. Of course, for the vessels to be confiscated, British naval officers and sailors had the option to escape to the United States or scuttle the ships if they so desired. However, given the current situation where the Axis powers controlled the food supply, opposing this directive was practically impossible. Moreover, there were orders to hold not only the individuals involved but also their families and acquaintances accountable for their actions, whether they chose to escape or scuttle the ships. If compensation claims were made for the lost vessels, the families and acquaintances might end up leading a lifetime of servitude.

Dealing with a dictatorship, there was a real risk to one's life. Therefore, British naval officers and sailors had no choice but to obediently follow the orders of the Axis powers.