I Got a Fleet as a Reincarnation Bonus, But They're All Quirky!!

Attack and Aerial Battle of Sasante

This month's post.

This time, the focus is on the perspective of aircraft.

- Kazuhiro Kasami

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Above the sea, where nothing existed except the white hues of waterfowl and splashing waves, resounded only the sounds of turbines and diesel engines emitted by the ships of the Okura Fleet. Since the commencement of the bombardment, reports from reconnaissance planes flying over the enemy fleet for observation were continuously reaching the flagship under Asahi's command.

"Flagship, this is the Fusō recon team. The enemy turtle ship fleet has been completely annihilated. I repeat, the enemy turtle ship fleet has been completely annihilated."

"This is Yahagi recon team. The enemy warship fleet and transport convoy have also been completely destroyed. I repeat, the enemy warship fleet and transport convoy have been completely destroyed."

Asahi, upon taking the communication device, inquired, "What is the extent of the damage?" to each ship.

"Fusō, no personnel or equipment damage whatsoever."

"Yahagi, no damage."

"Likewise, this is Sakawa, no damageeeee."

"Kitakami, no damage."

"Ōi is also without any damage."

It seemed that both the carriers and transport ships sailing in the rear, as well as the ships at the forefront including battleships, had suffered no casualties. What relieved Asahi the most, however, was that the three destroyers of the newly formed Imperial Japanese Navy, the Matsu, Take, and Akizuki, which had fought alongside them, were unharmed. They reported no personnel or equipment damage either.

As Asahi had heard from Katori and others, who were in a position to be called mentors, that there were still many areas where their training was lacking, he had been concerned that if the enemy turtle ships approached too closely, they might suffer damage from a direct assault. However, in reality, sailing at a speed close to cruising speed, and almost 20 knots, which could be considered faster than the enemy, they had been fortunate. They had been able to attack from a comfortable outrange without being caught by the enemy, as they were not overtaken.

Later, Kuki Yoshiyori, the captain of the Akizuki, said with a hearty laugh, "The exercises with Katori-dono and the others were much tougher."

The fact that they were able to annihilate the enemy fleet much more easily than he had anticipated brought relief to Asahi. However, because of that, he strongly vowed in his heart to be cautious and work hard to be able to do the same in the future.

"Well, it seems that people from another world have gotten used to handling modern warships faster than I thought. Well, that's good."

"Next is airplanes. We need to train a large number of crew members..."

"For now, we can win, but... we'll have to rely on the current outstanding pilots as instructors for now. We can't ask Fusou and the others to handle everything."

At this point, they had a considerable margin, being able to think about the future of dealing with the equipment level and other factors of the other side. However, no one noticed. But it was not unreasonable to think that the Japanese Empire at present could easily defeat the Kingdom of Olfastar.

The technological level of the Okura Fleet had the capabilities of the early Pacific War, the end of the Pacific War, and the early 1900s, while the opponent, even with aviation forces, was primarily a fleet consisting of wooden ships, focusing on ships-of-the-line assuming close-range bombardment and turtle ships emphasizing ramming tactics. In terms of the effective range of main guns, rate of fire, and combat performance of ship speed and aviation forces, the Okura Fleet completely surpassed the opponent. Therefore, it was natural that they could win.