CHAPTER 79
Malayan Campaign
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The main force of the Eastern Fleet of the Otherworldly Empire had turned into mere seaweed. With the greatest obstacle removed, the Japanese military proceeded with their Southern Operation, initiating Operation E, the Philippines Campaign.
While the Third Fleet was conducting an air raid on Cavite Naval Base, the Zeros and G4Ms of the 11th Air Fleet stationed in Taiwan attacked the old Clark and Iba airfields in the Philippines. The lack of fighters available to defend Cavite contributed to the success of the attacks on the airfields.
The landing forces, waiting behind the Third Fleet, landed at Legazpi under the escort of the 5th Destroyer Squadron. Simultaneously, the convoy escorted by the 3rd Destroyer Squadron behind the First Fleet began landing at Lingayen Gulf on the western coast of Luzon. Around this time, the Third Fleet's air units began attacking enemy bases and forces across the Philippines. This overwhelming deployment of air power resulted in significant losses for the Otherworldly Empire's ground forces, which were subsequently routed by the landing army.
Meanwhile, Vice Admiral Chūichi Nagumo's Second Fleet was advancing through the South China Sea, escorting convoys carrying army units for the Malay landing operations and the counter-landing operations in Thailand and French Indochina. The fleet then split into the main force entering the Gulf of Thailand and the Malay Force supporting the Malay landing units.
Second Fleet Main Force
- 4th Cruiser Division: large cruisers Unzen, Tsurugi, Norikura, Shirane
- 5th Cruiser Division: heavy cruisers Ibuki, Kurama
- Seaplane Carriers: Nisshin, Kamikawa Maru
- 2nd Destroyer Squadron: light cruiser Yura
- 10th Destroyer Division: Makigumo, Kazagumo
- 16th Destroyer Division: Yukikaze, Hatsukaze, Oyashio
- 17th Destroyer Division: Isokaze, Tanikaze, Hamakaze
- 18th Destroyer Division: Kasumi, Arare, Kagerō, Shiranui
Second Fleet Malay Force
- 6th Cruiser Division: heavy cruisers Chōkai, Ashigara, Haguro, Chikuma
- 4th Carrier Division: Jun'yō, Ryūjō
- 4th Destroyer Squadron: light cruiser Naka
- 4th Destroyer Division: Arashi, Nowaki
- 7th Destroyer Division: Akebono, Ushio, Oboro
- 9th Destroyer Division: Asagumo, Yamagumo, Asashio
- 41st Destroyer Division: Tachibana, Tsuta, Hagi, Sumire
The main force of the Second Fleet supported the army landing in Cambodia. Concurrently, they launched a rear attack on the Otherworldly Empire's forces, in coordination with a massive counteroffensive by the army from northern Vietnam and Laos.
The Malay landing followed the Southern Operation plan initially envisioned for the war against the United States and Britain. The escort comprised the 6th Cruiser Division's four heavy cruisers, the 4th Carrier Division, and the 4th Destroyer Squadron. Since the army's air units were largely committed to the French Indochina operation, the 4th Carrier Division's Jun'yō and Ryūjō were responsible for supporting the Malay landing.
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The Resurrected Fleet: Isekai World War 1942
FantasyAfter World War I, over 70 German ships interned at the British naval base Scapa Flow mysteriously disappeared... More than two decades later, in 1940, the world is engulfed in a new war against the Mundus Empire, an invading force from another dime...
