After a series of intense battles that would later be referred to as the Second Battle of Midway, the First to Fourth Fleets concluded the fierce fighting and turned their bows westward, heading towards the homeland on the return journey. The results of the battle were significant. They sank four regular aircraft carriers, five light carriers, and six battleships. All of the battleships were of a new design, and the aircraft carriers were all state-of-the-art vessels, shining brightly having been commissioned just a year ago. All cruisers and destroyers were also sunk, most of which were newly built ships constructed after the expiration of disarmament treaties, similar to battleships and aircraft carriers. However, the loss of personnel was even more significant than the loss of vessels. When the naval battle ended, Vice Admiral Ozawa ordered the eight heavy cruisers and sixteen destroyers of the pursuit force to rescue survivors, but only a few thousand were saved. In contrast, tens of thousands of soldiers and sailors had perished in the depths of the sea off the coast of Midway.
On the other hand, from the Japanese perspective, the key contributors to this victory were undoubtedly the six newly added aircraft carriers and the 324 carrier-based aircraft on them. Without these six carriers and their aircraft, it could not be denied that the Combined Fleet might have faced defeat due to a lack of strength.
Ozawa reminisced about the core strength of the First Fleet he directly commanded—the six aircraft carriers, two of the Nagato-class and four of the Fusō-class. Each of them was a vessel modified from a battleship.
Especially noteworthy were the four Fusō-class carriers, which had initially emerged as 36-centimeter gun-equipped battleships. After the treaties expired, they were secretly refitted to carry 41-centimeter guns. In the naval battle off Wake Island, the four sisters of the Fusō-class used their massive 41-centimeter shells to send American battleships to the ocean floor. In this recent naval battle, they participated as modified carriers, achieving victory in aerial combat against the new American carriers, and even sinking new battleships like the North Carolina-class and South Dakota-class, which would have been impossible to defeat as battleships alone, all thanks to their carrier-based aircraft. The budget and effort invested in retrofitting the main guns and converting them into aircraft carriers were immense, but the results far exceeded expectations.
Similarly, the Mogami-class and Myōkō-class cruisers, which had faced American heavy cruisers in successive battles at the Battle of Wake Island and last year's Battle of Midway, and the Takao-class that faced the Allied fleet in the southern theater, achieved victory in each battle by upgrading their 15,5-centimeter and 20-centimeter guns to 23-centimeter guns. Additionally, while not as glamorous as the exploits of the Combined Fleet, the Katori-class training cruisers were transformed into aviation escort cruisers before the war, serving as the main force of the Maritime Escort Force, silently supporting the logistics of the Japanese military, and, one could say, the economy of the Empire. Older light cruisers and destroyers were also retrofitted into anti-aircraft or anti-submarine ships, along with the Katori-class cruisers, effectively protecting Japan's lifelines.
Furthermore, Ozawa was informed by his former Naval Academy classmate, Vice-Minister Inoue, that significant movements were taking place between Japan and the Allies, specifically between Japan and the United Kingdom, as well as the Soviet Union, in response to the results of the Second Battle of Midway. It seemed that agents from the UK and the Soviet Union had secretly contacted the Imperial Navy, the Foreign Ministry, and the non-belligerent factions of the government. Apparently, the UK, now in dire straits but still breathing strongly, and the Soviet Union, also in a difficult situation, have begun to actively mediate in the Japan-US peace negotiations by severing the Achilles' heel known as the Indian Ocean.
If Japan and the United States continue the war as it is, the vast war resources of the United States will flow into the Pacific rather than Europe. If preparations against the formidable fleet with eighteen aircraft carriers are to be made from Hawaii to the West Coast, it would require astronomical budgets and resources. And, inevitably, if such a large quantity flows into the Pacific, support to Europe will undoubtedly diminish. Of course, the forces needed to maintain sea lanes, such as escort carriers and escort destroyers, are similarly essential.
For the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union, still facing a powerful Germany, being disregarded by the United States at this point must be absolutely prevented. Especially for the UK, the Atlantic is now its sole lifeline. Therefore, it was necessary to continue the support from the United States as before and strive for the recovery of the Indian Ocean. The UK and the Soviet Union likely judged that the quickest way to achieve this was to make Japan and the United States get along.
Of course, negotiations are not always successful just because they are negotiations. However, Ozawa is optimistic about it. Admiral Yamamoto, who, despite his clumsy war leadership in battles like the Battle of Wake Island, has shown outstanding sense in military and political matters, and Minister Hori, who, with his clear mind, has wielded a strong hand in both military and political fields, competing with Navy Chief of Staff Shiozawa, known as one of the 32nd class trio, or the Trio of Military Affairs, and the sharp-minded Vice Minister Inoue, known as the Razor, all come together.
Furthermore, with the addition of the intelligence organizations of the UK and the Soviet Union, which have waged bloody struggles in the underworld of Europe, peace with the United States should be achievable. In fact, among the American people, there is a growing sense of war weariness, along with fear of the Japanese fleet due to the successive defeats, or even total annihilation, of the United States Navy. Perhaps, behind the scenes, the British and Soviet intelligence organizations were also playing a role.
Ozawa once again pondered. The fact that the Imperial Navy, with inferior strength, has been able to achieve victories against the US Navy to this extent is largely due to the efforts of predecessors. The Imperial Navy, based on the knowledge and experience gained from past accidents and incidents, has accumulated them as lessons and built an organization that naturally does not repeat the same mistakes.
THE END
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Drastically Modified Combined Fleet
Historical Fiction「All of these ships are all weird. It's like a magical fleet.」 An organization built on the knowledge and experience gained from past accidents and incidents, using them as lessons to stack up and ensure that the same mistakes are never repeated aga...
