Drastically Modified Combined Fleet

Chapter 18 - Admiral Halsey

The Japanese fleet heading toward them was already known. However, the crucial composition remained unknown. Despite multiple submarines having detected the Japanese fleet, they seemed to have laid an extremely effective anti-submarine defense, preventing any grasp of the full situation. Before identifying their types, the overhead was patrolled by seaplanes or destroyers, leaving no room for the luxury of identifying the ship classes.

"I heard that during the First World War, the Japanese forces dispatched suffered considerably from German U-boats. Even after the war, it seems they were diligently taught anti-submarine tactics by the British. Above all, being an island nation like Britain, Japan must have felt a kinship with the difficulties faced by Britain during the First World War."

While nodding in agreement with the words of the operations staff, Admiral William Halsey, the commander of the carrier task force, recalled the words of Commander Edwin Layton, the Pacific Fleet's intelligence officer.

"It's premature to categorize the four capital ships that Japan began building after the disarmament treaty as battleships. They understand or value the importance of aircraft more than we do. In fact, at the coast off Malay, they sank the battleship Prince of Wales and the battlecruiser Repulse, with carrier-based aircraft, albeit with the help of surface ships. We should also consider that Japan's four main ships might be carriers."

Although Admiral Husband Kimmel dismissed this with a smile as an excessive concern, Halsey, a proponent of air power, found it a plausible assumption. If they had indeed built carriers, the Japanese military would have eight regular carriers and four light carriers. Of these, it was confirmed that the four Sōryū and three Chitose classes were still in the southern theater, so if reinforcements were to come, it would be four new carriers. If Layton's prediction was correct, it was absolutely necessary to strike down the four regular carriers here. If, hypothetically, they concentrated the use of one or two carriers, defeat for the Pacific Fleet was inevitable, and in the worst case, total annihilation was even possible.

However, despite Halsey's concerns, his staff members were universally skeptical about the matter. In the US Navy, two new battleships, the North Carolina and Washington, were already in service, and four more 35.000-ton battleships were set to enter a construction rush in the near future. Furthermore, the construction of 45.000-ton battleships was underway to counter the converted fast battleships of the Fusō-class, and the Japanese Navy should be aware of this fact. While the Japanese might be a brave bunch, it was hard to fathom why they would not construct a single battleship when we were gearing up to maintain over ten new battleships. Many shared this perspective, but the air staff had a different view.

"This is a hypothetical scenario, but let's say the Japanese military has deployed four regular carriers. Based on the budget approved in the Circle 3 Plan, the number of carrier-based aircraft would likely be around 300 for all four carriers. On the other hand, our Enterprise and Lexington carry just over 40 fighters each. If, hypothetically, the Japanese military used 10% of their carrier-based aircraft for reconnaissance, 60% for attacks, and 30% for air cover, the effective force available for their attacks would be 180 planes. It is impossible for our fighter squadron alone to overcome this. In our disadvantage, we are forced to choose whether to concentrate forces on the offense or defense."

While grateful for the air staff's direct confrontation with his concerns, Halsey couldn't help but wear a grim expression at the bitter analysis that came from their mouths.

"Does that mean it's difficult to protect the carrier while destroying the enemy's carriers with insufficient forces?"

Saying so, Halsey mentally reviewed his fleet's capabilities. The Enterprise and Lexington each carried about 20 F4F Wildcats and F2A Buffaloes, and in total, they had around 70 SBD Dauntless dive bombers and less than 40 TBD Devastator torpedo bombers between them. Certainly, if the enemy had four carriers, adhering to the advice of the air staff to focus solely on offense or defense without compromise would likely result in an ineffective strategy. In that case, he would prioritize his preferred fighting style.

"If the enemy's four main ships are carriers instead of battleships, we'll commit all our forces to the attack. Moreover, both the Enterprise and Lexington are protected by three heavy cruisers and six destroyers each. Anti-aircraft guns, machine guns, and the spearhead of their defenses won't easily allow Japanese planes to break through."

Demonstrating the true qualities of a seasoned commander, Halsey never allowed his fighting spirit to wane, even in unfavorable situations.