Aviation-Centric Combined Fleet

Chapter 58 - Pincer Attack

On the second day of the operation, the first wave, consisting of one squadron launched from each aircraft carrier, totaling 192 Shiden Kai fighter planes, carried out airstrikes on airfields scattered throughout Oahu. Despite the US military's extensive use of construction vehicles and machinery, their recovery capability was beyond imagination. However, there still seemed to be limits, as the airfields had not fully recovered for takeoffs and landings. Nevertheless, taking no chances, the first attack squadron's fighters delivered nearly 400 strikes, hitting runways and remaining facilities mercilessly, relentlessly pursuing the attack.

The second wave, also consisting of 192 Shiden Kai, targeted vital infrastructure such as power plants, substations, water purification plants, and bridges, much like the first wave. Despite the clever disguises of these facilities, the experienced pilots of the 1st Mobile Fleet, who had accumulated ground attack experience in the decisive battles on the British mainland, were not deceived. Most of these facilities were pulverized by the attacks.

In the afternoon, over 250 Shiden Kai and Type 1 carrier attack planes attacked Pearl Harbor. Support ships such as submarine tenders, repair ships, and oilers that were supposed to be in the bay had apparently fled before any aircraft arrived, as none of them were visible. However, the floating docks were unable to retreat in time, revealing themselves deep in Pearl Harbor. With no other significant targets, the floating docks became prime targets for the Type 1s. Bombs rained down on the targeted floating docks, leaving them so thoroughly destroyed that their original purpose became indiscernible. Simultaneously, the fighters accompanying the Type 1s showered bombs across various harbor facilities, making the recovery of Pearl Harbor even more challenging.

While the carrier aircraft were at work, the surface fleet was not idle. Destroyers from the mobile fleet, cooperating with Type 1s, chased away American submarines. Destroyers from the surface strike force, accompanied by minesweepers from the supply fleet, conducted mine-clearing operations, preparing for naval gunfire support.

Then, as if the main act, the battleships Nagato and Mutsu fired 41 cm shells at important military facilities across Oahu. Additionally, where the two battleships could not reach, the cruisers Myōkō, Haguro, Ashigara, and Nachi, fired 20 cm shells. Having endured over 1,000 one-ton shells and more than 2,000 120 kg shells, Oahu was subjected to a second inferno. Like the previous attack, various types of mines, advanced versions laid by laying ships, were scattered in the waters around Oahu, causing significant harassment for the recovery efforts.

Exploiting the US Navy's focus on Oahu and the West Coast, the combined German and Italian submarine fleet executed a large-scale disruption of maritime traffic across the entire American East Coast. However, following defeats in battles such as the Battle of Wake Island, the Battle of Oahu, and the Battle of the North Atlantic, the US Navy had few effective cards to play.

Despite possessing a reasonable number of anti-submarine vessels, including Fletcher-class destroyers, the sailors aboard were still inexperienced, having survived the intense battles with the British. The seasoned U-boat crews, having weathered fierce battles with the British, exploited this weakness to the fullest. The battle between destroyers and submarines involved a constant game of deception, and the inexperienced American ships consistently suffered defeat, leading to significant losses of both vessels and crew members.

In addition, the German naval high command encouraged the sinking of American destroyers more than merchant ships. Their calculation was that it was more advantageous to eliminate the inexperienced sheepdogs early on, rather than dealing with them later. Germany had discerned that the bottleneck in the American military lay not in material but in personnel.

The massive losses of sailors in the East and pilots in the West dealt a powerful body blow to the US military. Confident in their flank's safety, the German military launched a major offensive against the Soviet Union with the arrival of late spring. What caught the Soviet forces off guard was the transformation of the Luftwaffe from a conventional tactical air force to a strategic air force in a very short period. Soviet soldiers were bewildered by the nightmare scenario of German pilots flying British-made four-engine bombers to bomb them. Furthermore, over the past year, the Soviet forces, unable to receive any support from the United States or Britain, were vastly outmatched in terms of military strength, especially in terms of quality, compared to the German forces that had acquired abundant war resources, almost like looting, from Britain.

Additionally, another aspect, their approach to intelligence, was also distinctly different from the traditional German military. During the peace process with Britain, the German military intelligence, shocked to discover that they had been completely exposed through the Enigma code they believed to be perfect, found themselves in a near panic. However, overcoming these challenges, their awareness and handling of information now significantly differ from the past. Personnel involved diligently and greedily conducted thorough pre-war intelligence gathering, meticulously examining the deployment and positioning of Soviet forces.

Subsequently, this information was fed back to strategic bombing groups and ground forces. The bombs dropped by the Luftwaffe's heavy bomber units accurately rained down on Soviet forces, and the German Army continued its advance with minimal casualties, avoiding any surprises. The defensively oriented Soviet forces, unable to quickly retreat due to a shortage of transport vehicles, saw a succession of units being encircled and annihilated.

As these losses accumulated, smaller nations that had been swallowed up by the Soviet Union began to rebel, revealing the ebbing tide of the Soviet state more than the Soviet army. Certainly, German subversion played a role behind the scenes, but it undoubtedly became one of the significant factors that rapidly dismantled the Soviet state or Communist Party organization. And as defeats continued, the diminishing power of the leaders led to a decline in their charismatic influence. The weakening of the dictator in a totalitarian state signified the onset of a new power struggle.