Time Slip Reiwa Japan

054 - Karelian Isthmus Conflict - 3

The dispatch of the Siberian Republic Volunteer Force to Finland is set to be carried out with great force. Coordination training among each unit was not conducted to a significant extent, and officers ranked sergeant and above were tasked with networking transport ships and personnel carriers *1 and conducting tabletop exercises for communication and troop operations.

The reason for this haste was the request of the Siberian Republic government to send the volunteer force to Finland before the outbreak of hostilities between Finland and the Soviet Union. At the same time, the Japanese government had a motive to strengthen the Finnish side before the outbreak of hostilities to impose calm judgment on the Soviet government.

. . .

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union watched with bitterness as the departure ceremony of Task Force 391, which was publicly announced in the media on a large scale to deter war, took place. Stalin, in particular, believed that Admiral Ewald should be resolutely sunk. Therefore, the Soviet Union had decided to delay the outbreak of hostilities with Finland.

Submarines could obscure their nationality, so a plan was made to carry out a concentrated attack from underwater with unidentified submarines when TF-391, including Admiral Ewald, visited the Baltic Sea, thinking it was a time of peace.

There are currently 12 submarines that can be deployed in the Baltic Sea. Patrol boats disguised as fishing boats were to be deployed in the Skagerrak Strait to intercept and surround TF-391 and deliver a blow. The first target was Admiral Ewald, the second target was various transport ships, and if possible, the sinking of the super ultra-mega aircraft carrier Zuikaku and the battleship Musashi, which were symbols of Japan's naval strength.

Submarines that successfully attacked were promised to be awarded medals and, if they could sink the target, promised promotions. The 12 submarines were given top priority in providing supplies and ample training time.

The Soviet Union was prepared to meet TF-391 in the best possible way.

. . .

Japan

Around the same time that TF-391 was formed, Japan deployed an aviation unit to ensure the safety of maritime routes in the North Sea-Baltic Sea area. They used Britain, where the aviation unit was already stationed, as their main base and negotiated to borrow an aviation base in Poland for emergency support. The main forces deployed were P-1 patrol planes, E-767 AWACS, and EC-2 electronic warfare planes. An F-3 fighter squadron was also deployed as an escort. The reason Japan was able to deploy its aviation forces to Europe so quickly was due to the base in Kuwait, which supports the rear of the European Command.

Other countries, including G-4, saw that Japan had deployed its future fighter, the F-3, overseas in Europe and realized that Japan was serious. However, Japan's goal was not so intimidating. Simply put, the speed of deployment for the P-1 and E-767 AWACS was so fast that an F-3 capable of performing at the same speed or higher was needed to escort them.

. . .

Germany

Germany obtained information on the air combat between the F-7 and Yak-9 fighters in Finland, without live ammunition, from the Soviet Union. Germany determined that it was difficult for the Bf 109 fighter, equipped with a 1.000 horsepower engine, which was the mainstay of the Luftwaffe, to counter the F-7.

This was not speculation, but a fact. Germany dispatched ten Bf 109s near the border between the Soviet Union and Finland as part of intelligence gathering for joint engine development requested by the Soviet Union. The Bf 109E, equipped with a 1.000 horsepower engine, was unable to effectively counter the F-7.

As a result, Germany endeavored to improve the current engine in development, the 1.500 horsepower model, for practical use. In addition, Germany provided the knowledge gained from engine development to the Soviet Union and began joint development of high-power engines.

Enter the F-3 fighter, a jet aircraft. Germany knew that Japan possessed jet engine fighters, but considered them a kind of paper tiger as they had not been deployed outside Japan and had not been used in the Siberian independence war, unlike the P-1 patrol aircraft.

Germany was shocked to see the jet fighter deployed and operating in Europe. They realized that the Bf 109 was no match for it. Hitler was furious with this conclusion and ordered German aircraft manufacturers to develop jet engine fighters.

. . .

Britain

Britain, like Germany, was also shocked by the F-3 fighter jet and decided to focus on developing its own next-generation fighter jet. However, at the same time, instead of solely focusing on the development of jet engines, which would require time to establish production capacity, Britain also proceeded with the development of piston-engined planes as auxiliary forces.

In a sense, this was the difference in national power between Britain and Germany.

. . .

France

Due to domestic political turmoil, France was unable to fully devote itself to the development of jet engines. Instructions to engine manufacturers and the allocation of subsidies were possible, but that was the limit. France's aviation industry had slowly begun to lag behind the world's trend.

. . .

United States

After Japan, the United States had the most knowledge about jet engines and jet-powered aircraft. They were able to gather a wealth of future information through the Republic of Guam (USFJ), and had the resources to develop a full-fledged jet fighter. However, they did not start full-scale development due to the enormous budget required for development, or perhaps due to the enemy. At the time of 1939, the main enemy of the United States was China, whose aviation capabilities were weak, so there was little need to develop high-powered jet engine aircraft.

In a sense, the United States was a nation dozing peacefully.

Nevertheless, they did not overlook the situation where the development of jet engine aircraft started in various countries following the deployment of the F-3 fighter in Europe. They provided abundant subsidies to each manufacturer and shared information obtained from the Republic of Guam, resulting in the development of the first jet fighter, the G-4.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Notes

*1: A personnel carrier is a general term for large passenger or passenger-cargo ships that were under construction by private shipbuilding companies but were purchased by the Japanese government as part of an economic stimulus plan during the time slip. After the time slip, due to the expansion of the activity area of the Self-Defense Forces (Japanese Federal Armed Forces) on a global scale, it was decided to order six personnel transport ships based on large passenger ships with a total tonnage of over 100.000, which can transport division-sized units. In some cases, for medium-sized passenger-cargo ships, there are also command function-enhanced personnel transport ships that increase communication equipment and install helicopter decks instead of focusing on personnel transport.

From the media and opposition parties, there were criticisms that the large-scale shipbuilding plan, which eventually exceeded 30 ships, including the offshore vessel maintenance plan (not only personnel transport ships, but also the purchase of various large ships under construction, such as tankers and car carriers), was an abnormal government budget operation led by public demand and a manifestation of expansionist militarism. However, the Japanese government carried out the maintenance plan, rejecting such criticism. The judgment was that through this public demand, the Japanese shipbuilding industry and employment could be protected for a long period until private demand revived.

In peacetime, they are also dispatched as hospital ships that double as training ships (training schools) for sailors to the South Pacific, Europe, and the United States. In addition, the luxury interior of the passenger ships that were under construction was preserved, and they were used for diplomatic and cultural exchanges.

The reason for relying on ships for personnel transport is that to expand globally by air, the maintenance situation of aviation infrastructure in various places except for Japan is extremely poor.