REIWA JIGOKUHEN - Chaotic Disturbance of Reiwa Era

Chapter 11 - Operation Preparation

Iwo Jima: Iwo Jima Air Base

Two Fletcher-class destroyers had been prowling around the waters near Iwo Jima all night, emitting suspicious radio signals and the like. A short time after sunrise, both ships suddenly turned around and approached Iwo Jima. Unaware of their true identity or intentions, they broke through the territorial waters and barged in with impunity. The situation was not one of blatant harmless damage.

Warnings were sent out in Japanese and English on frequencies that should have been audible, but there was no response.

"What the hell as they been doing since last night?"

"I don't get it anymore."

The Self-Defense Forces personnel stationed on the island scratched their heads and asked each other.

The Fletchers were already close enough to be seen visually, and even they could see sailors running on the deck. They were dressed in antiquated clothing, and everyone felt like they were watching a war movie. The only problem was that the sailors soon manned the turret, and the barrels of their guns began to swivel.

"GAH, they're firing at us!" one of the sentries exclaimed.

The first dozen or so rounds fell in a direct arc toward the Iwo Jima Air Base, blowing away the lemon grass or something that was growing there, but the effect of the ammunition's impact correction was increasing, and it was gradually approaching the runway and the base facilities.

However, that was as far as the naval gunfire went. The P-1s, which had taken off from Atsugi at the time of the territorial sea intrusion and were rushing over Iwo Jima, fired AGM-65 Mavericks at the Fletchers, which had begun bombarding the air base. The two ships exploded and sank almost simultaneously, probably from ammunition magazines or blown-up engines.

In the end, the only damage was a man who fell and sprained his leg while evacuating.

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Pacific Ocean: off the Kii Peninsula

The submarine USS Guardfish, which was on a mission to support an air raid on the Japanese mainland, was quick to detect an unusual situation. It was said that B-29s on a mission to bomb Tokyo had suffered unbelievably heavy casualties. Intercepted radio transmission revealed this firsthand, and the radio operator reported that about 100 of them might have been shot down. The Japanese might have introduced a powerful new weapon. And Guardfish had also just witnessed a modern marvel.

"W-what the heck is that...?"

The jaw of the Commander, Douglas Hammond, dropped as he looked into the periscope.

A few minutes later, the radar picked up a ship that appeared to be sailing alone. It was a very large contact and sailed at over 16 knots. Hammond was not sure why it was sailing alone, but he thought it might be a Hiyō-class aircraft carrier. That ship was originally a high-speed cargo ship, so its cruising speed was higher than that of an ordinary warship. And the contact, which Hammond believed to be a Hiyō, was lucky enough to be on a course that took it right in front of the Guardfish from its 10 o'clock position. As soon as this was discovered, Hammond ordered the boat to rise to the periscope depth and decided to ambush the ship. Then, through the periscope, he saw—what looked like a hell of a ship.

"XO, do you see anything that corresponds to the ship's silhouette chart?"

"Not at all, sir..."

Flipping through the chart, the XO was also puzzled. There was nothing at all. If the measured distance was correct, the total length of the target was calculated to be nearly 300 meters. It is a very large, very flat, very fast ship painted with no intention of hiding at all. The bridge structure and what appeared to be a smokestack were concentrated aft.