CHAPTER 199
1st Mobile Fleet Replenishing
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On July 1, the battleship Harima carrying Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto arrived at the Tawi-Tawi Anchorage.
Accompanying her were the light cruiser Sendai, operated by Sub-Lieutenant Suga and other Bearers, the submarine destroyers Fubuki, Shirayuki, Isonami, and Uranami, the light cruiser Tenryū which had been returned to the Japanese Navy from the Ghost Fleet, and the remaining ships of Samejima's detachment: the battleship Hitachi, the aircraft carriers Jun'yō, Ryūhō, and Zuihō, and the destroyers Kaede, Keyaki, and Kaki.
The Hitachi, heavily damaged and unable to sail on her own, was towed back by the Harima. Even Harima had sustained significant damage to her structures and required repairs.
After refueling and minimal repairs, Harima moved to the mainland with Tenryū and Sendai. Hitachi was to undergo emergency repairs by a repair ship and then proceed to Seletar Naval Base in Singapore for extensive repairs.
The Combined Fleet successfully defeated two enemy carrier strike groups, which had been a concern. However, a small unit including a new type of aviation battleship that had defeated the Eighth Fleet moved into southern New Guinea, making pursuit impossible. The Japanese forces were unable to recklessly advance into the waters, sandwiched as they were between New Guinea and Australia. Thus, the battle for the Central Pacific reached a stalemate, but preparations and training for the next operation were underway.
First, the Navy aimed to recapture the Marshall Islands and sought cooperation from the Army. The Army, in turn, requested the Navy to secure control of the Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean, applying pressure on the supply lines of the Otherworldly Empire's forces invading from Southeast Asia and aiding in their annihilation.
This operation, tentatively named the Indian Ocean Operation, was nearing completion, with the Army preparing a raiding division to strike the enemy's rear. The Navy was busy reorganizing and preparing the 1st Mobile Fleet for deployment, as previously planned.
Thus, on July 15, Vice Admiral Jisaburō Ozawa was in good spirits on the bridge of the Third Fleet flagship Ise.
"How magnificent. Seeing everything brand new lifts the spirits."
"Indeed," Shinmei, the Operations Staff Officer, agreed.
"The word 'new' is a wonderful thing."
Their gaze fell upon the newly reorganized air fleet.
1st Mobile Fleet
- 2nd Battleship Division: Yamato, Musashi, Mino, Izumi
- 6th Battleship Division: Ise, Hyūga
- 7th Battleship Division: Kongō, Hiei, Haruna, Kirishima
- 1st Carrier Division: Daikaku, Kōkaku, Kokuryū
- 3rd Carrier Division: Suiyō, Sōyō, Hakuyō
- 5th Carrier Division: Shōkaku, Zuikaku, Shōhō
- 7th Carrier Division: Kairyū, Kenryū, Zuiryū
- 9th Cruiser Division: large cruisers Kurohime, Araumi, Hakkai
- 15th Cruiser Division: heavy cruisers Myōkō, Nachi
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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...
