Cash-Loaded Fleet

Chapter 45 - Oahu Disposal

The six battleships of the First Fleet relentlessly pounded the battleship Colorado and two New Mexico-class battleships of Task Force 11, sinking them all to the seabed off the coast of Oahu. Admiral Ghormley, who commanded the same fleet, went down with the Colorado.

By that time, the air and artillery forces of Oahu had also been crushed by the relentless assaults of the 1st and 2nd Air Fleets. Meanwhile, the 1st and 2nd Air Fleets, having rendered Oahu powerless, turned their attention to the surviving enemy ships. The remaining vessels of the US mobile task force had already been taken care of by the 3rd Air Fleet. Therefore, the 1st and 2nd Air Fleets selected the remaining American surface strike force as their target.

The biggest prizes, the new battleships Washington and North Carolina, had both been hit by multiple torpedoes in yesterday's attack. Type 0 attackers showered additional torpedoes onto the battered sisters, sinking both of them deep into the seabed off Oahu. No mercy was shown to other cruisers and destroyers, as all of them were also sunk.

The Combined Fleet that had swept the Pacific Fleet now turned its focus to Oahu. Artillery bombardments were carried out toward the island. A total of over two thousand 41-centimeter shells were fired at key points including Pearl Harbor naval base from the six battleships, including the Nagato. Pouring more than 2.000 tons of iron and gunpowder onto the US military on Oahu was devastating. The flaming oil tanks, particularly those surrounding the Pearl Harbor naval base, were the most critical. The massive stocks of heavy oil stored to move the Pacific Fleet went up in flames and poured into Pearl Harbor. The stroke of luck amidst misfortune was that there were very few ships anchored in Pearl Harbor in preparation for the attack by the Combined Fleet. However, there was no doubt that harbor facilities, including dry docks and loading facilities, had been engulfed in heat and flames and suffered catastrophic damage.

. . .

"The sinking included four aircraft carriers and eight battleships. It is confirmed from prisoner testimonies that two of the battleships were the new North Carolina and Washington. Furthermore, it is highly likely that fourteen cruisers and forty-eight destroyers were also sunk."

In response to the Chief of Staff's report, Vice Admiral Takasu, the Commander-in-Chief of the First Fleet, nodded slightly and urged the briefing to continue.

"Regarding aircraft, we have shot down over 500 enemy aircraft, including both carrier-based and land-based planes. We've also destroyed a significant number of aircraft on the ground. Additionally, our friendly carrier and carrier-based aircraft have sunk three submarines."

In the series of battles, the Combined Fleet had buried a significant number of enemy ships and aircraft, and the numbers of ships sunk were highly credible. After decimating the Pacific Fleet, the First Fleet, 1st Air Fleet, 2nd Air Fleet, and 3rd Air Fleet actively engaged in rescuing survivors, including dispatching destroyers. This measure aimed to demonstrate Japan as a humane nation to foreign countries and to extract valuable information from prisoners for battle result assessment. Of course, these prisoners would be used as ammunition to exaggerate the effectiveness of paper bombs, as in the Battle of the Marshall Islands.

The information obtained from prisoners was a mixed bag, but some of it was exceptionally valuable. Information about the types of ships in the US Navy's possession and those lost was particularly precious. With this knowledge, analyzing the current naval forces was straightforward. Currently, the US Navy has only one main battleship, the Arkansas. As for regular aircraft carriers, there are none. Furthermore, of the 10.000-ton class cruisers, most have been sunk, accounting for over 80%.

"With this many sunk, in a normal country, they would probably throw in the towel. But the United States is different," remarked the Chief of Staff Kobayashi, despite the recent great victory. His expression did not display the afterglow of victory, and the other staff officers shared a similar sentiment.

The reason for this was the information obtained from the prisoners. According to the information, the lead ship of the South Dakota-class battleships, which surpasses the North Carolina-class, is set to begin service next month, with the second and third ships appearing within three months. Furthermore, the rush of battleship commissioning will continue, with a new fast battleship surpassing the South Dakota-class expected to be completed around this time next year. If these are deployed, it will be impossible for the Imperial Navy's battleship forces to compete. Losing sixteen battleships and seven aircraft carriers, yet the United States refuses to give up on the war, according to Chief of Staff Kobayashi's assessment, is a belief shared by Takasu.

"I agree with the Chief of Staff's belief that the decision on whether the United States will surrender is now in the realm of politics. There's no use in us pondering it any further."

Even Takasu, who had opposed the outbreak of the war between Japan and the United States, couldn't help but celebrate this significant victory. However, contrary to his wishes, he held a conviction that a peace negotiation between Japan and the United States was unlikely to happen at this point. As Japan's citizens rejoiced in the successive major victories at the Battle of the Marshall Islands and the Battle of Oahu, the pro-German and pro-continuation factions within the military also had little intention of stopping the war as long as the United States did not surrender.

'Or perhaps we have won too much.'

A sudden thought crossed his mind. However, Takasu immediately brushed aside that thought. For a commander to entertain such thoughts would be disrespectful to the fallen soldiers.

"Have there been any new communications from the Combined Fleet Headquarters?"

In an effort to avoid dwelling on such matters, Takasu redirected his focus to the reality at hand.

"After the instructions for targets on the return journey, there haven't been any new ones."

In response to the communication staff's reply, Takasu nodded in acknowledgment. The instructions from the Combined Fleet included a directive to thoroughly destroy Midway Atoll and Wake Island on the return journey. The First Fleet, 1st Air Fleet, 2nd Air Fleet, and 3rd Air Fleet had already delivered a blow to both islands on the way to attacking Oahu, primarily to secure their rear safety. However, the Combined Fleet Headquarters had ordered them to finish off both islands. Although it didn't seem to have a significant strategic purpose, an order was an order.

"The attack on Midway and Wake Island will involve aircraft bombings first, followed by naval artillery bombardment. For the naval artillery bombardment, the cruisers of the 2nd Air Fleet and the 3rd Air Fleet will each have a destroyer squadron to carry it out."

The First Fleet had experienced both surface and anti-aircraft combat during the gunfire battle with Task Force 11 at the engagement off the coast of Oahu, and the 1st Air Fleet had also engaged in anti-ship and anti-aircraft combat due to the attack from Oahu's air squadron. However, the cruisers and destroyers of the 2nd Air Fleet and the 3rd Air Fleet had not had the opportunity to demonstrate their skills against the US military, except in anti-submarine warfare. While other units were achieving results, they felt frustrated by the lack of their own opportunities. Takasu, having been held back in the Battle of the Marshall Islands, understood their pent-up frustration. Therefore, he decided to use the orders from the Combined Fleet Headquarters as a means to vent his frustration.