Kirov Saga:

SEA OF FIRE

An alternate history of the Pacific War

Volume II

by

John Schettler

Author’s Note:

Dear Readers,

This is the alternate history of the war in the Pacific, extracted from many volumes of the long Kirov Series and re-edited into one continuous narrative. The first 45 chapters of this history were presented in Volume I, Roll of Thunder, and this picks up right after the eruption of Krakatoa and the surprising new visitor it blew through the cracks in time.

Volume II for the Pacific War now continues with the story concerning JS Takami, the Battle of the Coral Sea, Halsey’s raid on the Marshalls, Japanese Operation FS and the landings on Fiji, the Battle of the Koro Sea, US Landing at Suva Bay, Karpov’s Landings on Sakhalin Island, and then the battle between Kirov and an unexpected challenger in the Sea of Okhotsk. Admiral Hara’s Indian Ocean Raid and the action against Somerville’s British Far East Fleet concludes this volume. There was then a huge gap of 66 chapters where I devoted most of the main series action to PQ-17, Rommel in North Africa, the fighting in Spain and Algeria, the plan to assassinate Sergei Kirov, Fall Blau on the east front, and the drive on Volgograd which took us to the end of 1943.

So this catchup on the Pacific action arrives in a timely manner, because I intend to continue with the Pacific War in the next regular series volume, 1943. That entire novel is devoted to action on that front, and take up right where this volume concludes. With Fedorov and Karpov forging a new Alliance, Kirov moves south into the heat of the intense carrier duels between Halsey and the Kido Butai.

- John Schettler

Part I

Down the Rabbit Hole

“‘If you think we're waxworks,’ he said, ‘you ought to pay, you know. Waxworks weren't made to be looked at for nothing. Nohow! Contrariwise, if you think we're alive, you ought to speak.’”

― Lewis Carroll

Chapter 1

Neither Pavel Kamenski nor Anton Fedorov were at hand on the bridge of Takami that day to deftly explain what had just happened. If they had been there they would have said that the incredible power of that eruption must have ruptured the time continuum yet again, and that Takami was just in the wrong place at the wrong time in 2021 when it rounded Cape Merak and started into the Java Sea. The ship had been on a small international maritime patrol with the Australian Frigate Anzac out of Darwin. They escorted the LHD Canberra back to Darwin, conducted brief maneuvers in the Timor sea for ASW training, and then Anzac departed, also returning to Darwin.

Rising tensions with the action over Taiwan and the sharp engagement in the Pacific involving the US 7th Fleet had prompted the Allies to mount small security patrols like this with local assets in various theaters of the Pacific Region, and Takami had been stationed at Singapore. When Japanese fighters got pulled into the engagement off Hokkaido, tensions rose considerably. Being Japan’s newest and most capable Aegis Fleet Defense Destroyer, Takami should be home now, yet caught overseas when hostilities began, the ship was ordered to return to Singapore to form the heart of a new task force there. They skirted the southern coast of Java, transiting the Sunda Strait before it all happened. They simply sailed right out of the world they were born to, and would never be seen there again. Kamenski might have called it a gopher hole, but it was more like a sink hole in time, or a temporal fissure caused by that eruption in 1942.

Perhaps it was just happenstance that Takami sailed right through that fissure, which came and went, sometimes there, sometimes not. It may have required the ship to be at just the right angle and alignment, at just the right location and at an exact speed to work its magic that day, much like the strange alignment of another similar fissure along the stairwell at Ilanskiy. No one could really explain it, but there it was, and that sink hole swallowed the ship whole, dragging it inexorably back towards the source of that fissure, the detonation of Krakatoa in 1942.

The tension on the bridge was very thick, as heavy as the night around them, and as threatening as the low growl of the beast that had blasted its way up from the depths of the earth. Captain Harada could simply not make sense of what he was hearing, though he was grateful that Chief Engineer Oshiro had finally rebooted the ship’s systems, and they were fully active now. All vital stations were manned and ready, Sensors, CIC, Damage Control, the bridge crew alert, if somewhat edgy.

Lieutenant Fukada was standing very near the Captain’s chair now, and the two men were discussing something in low, hushed tones.

“Once we got systems up, SPY had contacts on every heading. There must be nearly 100 ships out here, most down near Jakarta and along the north Java coast.”

“There wasn’t that must sea traffic before that volcano blew its top. What’s the story here?” The Captain seemed very flustered. He liked things all lined up, every shift well assigned, every eventuality contemplated and prepared for, but this was a situation that no one on that ship could have ever expected.

“Could be search and rescue operations underway down there,” said his XO. That coastal area would have been hit very hard by the tsunami. Shipping could have been coming in while we were down and dark.”

“What about submarine threats?”

“Too much subterranean noise. It’s just loud as hell with that eruption under way. No way I can put Nakano on that station with a headset, good as he is. We’ll have to rely on the computers sorting the signals out.”

They had moved above a group of low lying islands north of Jakarta, once called Batavia, and the devastation they saw there was complete. The tsunami had been high enough to sweep completely over those islands, and they were little more than barren specks in the sea now, with every sign of life gone. With radar back up, they could easily see and avoid other ships in the vicinity, and the Captain put on some speed, steering 060 northeast towards Borneo. He was looking for open sea, trying to get out from under that ashfall, but it remained thick enough to preclude any thought of air operations with the single SH-60K helo aboard.

What bothered him most, however, was the discussion he had with the General they had fished out of the sea. Nothing the man said seemed to make any sense. Who was this man? He looked as though he had been pulled right out of the last war, uniform and all. Once things settled down, he confided his uncertainty to Fukada.

“I’m not sure what to make of our senior survivor,” said the Captain. “He says he’s commander of the 16th Army out here. Ever hear of that?”

“We’ve got five Armies,” said Fukada, “and we don’t number them. They just have regional names.”

“He was talking about troops from our 2nd Division being on Java.”

“Java? That division is in the Northern Army, stationed up on Hokkaido.”

“Right… Camp Asahikawa. I have friends there.”

“I think we’ve got a 16th Mech Infantry Regiment in the 4th Division,” said Fukada, “but there’s no way it would ever be on Java. Maybe this fellow is playing games?” Fukada folded his arms.

“He sure sounded convincing. All he could talk about was getting field reports from forward deployed units, arranging reinforcements from Singapore, as if some kind of big operation was underway down here.”

“Kyou ki no ookami. Sounds like one crazy wolf. Are you really going to ferry him up to Balikpapan?”

“I’d sooner fly him there, or some other medical facility, but that isn’t going to happen in this ashfall. For now, we’d best forget about him and sort our situation out. So far we’ve no signals traffic on regular channels at all, and no satellite uplinks.”

“Why don’t I have Ensign Shiota monitor regular radio bands?”

“Put her on it. We ought to hear some news, unless that volcano is washing out those bands as well. Those damn things can kick up their own weather.”

Of course, the Executive Officer’s suggestion only made things worse, for the only news they heard was rather dated. Just to cover every base, the Captain went to the ship’s library to look up 16th Army… and there was General Imamura, right there in black and white photographs, right down to the uniform the man in his sick bay was wearing! The details of the man’s career were all laid out, and he was indeed Commander of the 16th Army… but in 1942, and the troops and divisions he had mentioned, the operation also underway, were all a part of the invasion of Java in February, 1942.

The Captain sat on that for an hour, thinking Fukada must have been correct when he called the man a crazy wolf. But like any dangling thread, unattended task, or misplaced item, he could not rest until he had it in place. So he went back down to the sick bay to speak with his Chief Medical Officer, Lieutenant Hisakawa.

“Take a look at this photograph,” said Harada. “Then tell me that isn’t the same man in there asleep on your cot.”

“I’ll admit the resemblance,” said Hisakawa. “But taking it any further is plain stupid.” A former university professor in Japan, the man was not given to flights of fancy, and he had seen enough of the world’s misery in his profession to be the grim realist he was. During an accident three years earlier on fleet exercises, a helicopter had experienced engine failure on landing and came down very hard on the deck of the helicopter destroyer Izumo, where he had been stationed at the time. When they brought the injured flight crew in, he took one look at the co-pilot and immediately pronounced his wounds would be fatal. That kind of bedside manner was unusual for a healer by profession, but it was Hisakawa, who could be a hard, difficult and blunt man at times.

“Call me stupid then,” said the Captain. “But you know better than that, Doctor. The man isn’t a wax figure from a museum. Have you spoken with him at length? Believe me, the longer you do, the more you realize something is wrong.”

“Well considering that we just pulled him out of that ash laden sea, it doesn’t surprise me. He’s likely suffering post-traumatic stress. You can’t place any faith in what he might babble out under these circumstances. What he needs now is a good hospital in Singapore.”

That’s how it would go in the beginning, until the men dressed up like wax figures multiplied around them at an alarming rate, in ships out of museums, many which should have long ago been resting on the bottom of the sea. The officers and crewmen of Takami all knew of their ancestors in the navy, the ships they took to war, as much as any US sailor might know of Halsey and the USS Enterprise. It was a very slippery path now, and it led to only one place, a rabbit hole of madness, impossibly deep, and a wonderland of nightmare which would become a crucible for each and every man and woman aboard.

Way would lead on to way as Captain Harada began to walk that path. Along the way he would come to question his own sanity on more than one occasion, but reality has a very hard bite, particularly when it shows up as a surface action task force off the southern coast of Borneo. They had to come about 600 kilometers northeast of Krakatoa to get out from under that awful blackness, the light of the sun completely blotted out in all directions from the eruption. It had forced Mountbatten to withdraw to Perth, and also prompted Nagumo to take his carrier task force well up into the Makassar Strait off Balikpapan. That was where the Western Screening Force had fled when the eruption drove them deeper into the Java Sea, just as Takami was probing north for clearer skies.

Prevailing winds from the southwest had driven the worst of the ashfall up over Sumatra and into the lowermost portion of the South China Sea as it approached Singapore. They had radio intercepts of heavy ashfall in Singapore itself, adding more misery to the refugee crisis Percival was struggling with. Then they got the strangest report, of renewed fighting on the Island of Singapore, and news of Japanese troops breaking through to the city.

Without Montgomery’s 18th Division, and the tough Anzac troops, the steamy General Nishimura had taken advantage of the chaos and darkness to launch a surprise attack. The Indian Division posted astride the road from Kranji to the city could not hold, and Nishimura’s Imperial Guards broke through, following their remaining tanks to the city, supported by the 18th Division. Percival was unable to salvage the situation, and would now make his appointment with a Japanese prison camp, the event a sad echo of what should have happened a month earlier. Now Singapore was Nishimura’s problem to govern, and he would rule there with a very hard hand.

Bewildered by what they were hearing, consistent across all radio channels they could tune in, and being unable to reach any level of the command structure above his pay grade, Captain Harada was in a real quandary. His equipment was finally running, but his men did not reboot so readily or without some distress, nor did he. Rumors began to fly, with talk of calamity and war, with a heavy dose of confusion over the entire scene. When they heard news that the Makassar Strait and Celebes Sea were largely clear of ashfall and darkness, that became the best course he could set. The fact that it was on the sea road home to Japan also weighed in the Captain’s decision. Nothing made sense any longer, and he instinctively wanted to return to the certainty of navy life back home, but it soon brought him close to the precipitous edge of bedlam.

They saw the ships on radar this time, edging closer to have a look. Harada had it in his mind that they could be other ships in distress, for they seemed to be gathered listlessly in one place, steaming at a sedate 10 knots southeast of Balikpapan. The ash was finally clearing, though it still left a dull haze over the entire scene. They got close enough to use the optics, but that only made things worse. Fukada was soon convinced he was looking at a pair of old heavy cruisers from the IJN. He knew their silhouettes well, as he had built the models as a hobby for many years, and had several on the shelf of his cabin.

“By god,” he breathed. “Captain, that’s a Mogami Class cruiser out there or I’m a goat!”

And we all know where the story went for them soon after that little discovery. It was a progression, a madness that so many others on either side of the time line had gone through in these events, a creeping psychosis that hardened in their brains to a realization that they were no longer in the world they had been in when they left Singapore. There was surprise, astonishment, denial, even anger in the mix of emotions as they debated what they were seeing, what they were asking themselves to now believe.

Yet the world around them was going to be entirely too convincing, too consistent in its insanity—every radio transmission, every ship encountered, every other human being they would ever see there from that moment on, would all stand implacably on the side of the only impossible conclusion they could come to. It would not be something any man among them could dismiss, and along with that, there would not be a single vestige of the world they had come from to balance the scales on the other side, where all they had now was awful doubt, fear, uncertainty, and a quiet rage against the folly of what they were being forced to believe.

It was days before any of them could truly internalize what had happened, but it was only hours after that sighting before they were sitting in the officer’s wardroom with a very uncomfortable question before them. Brigadier Kinlan did not have to deal with this last inconvenience when his 7th Brigade appeared in the Western Egyptian desert. With the help of Fedorov, and the evidence of his own eyes, he had been eased over the line and knew where he could take his place on the battlefield. It wasn’t long before he was sharing a brandy with Churchill over the matter, and there was never any question in his mind like the one now plaguing the officers of the Takami.

It was something the Russians aboard Kirov had to answer when they arrived, a very thorny question indeed. If all of this were true, these ships, the men on them, the news on the radio, then they were right in the middle of the Second World War! If it were true, if they were really sailing in the Java Sea of 1942, then who’s side were they on here? They were sitting on a ship with the power to do what Kirov had been about for all these many long months. They were sitting on an Atago Class Guided Missile Destroyer, laid down in 2015.

The first two ships in the original class, Atago and Ashigara, had been commissioned in 2007 and 2008 respectively. His ship was a new, improved model, state of the art, and arguably one of the best fighting ships in the world when it was commissioned in 2021, just after its sister ship Takari entered service the previous year. Both were in the new 27DD subclass for the Atago Class, that number being the chosen because the first would be launched in the 27th year of the current ruling Emperor Akihito. Takimi was the latest and greatest.

There was a reason why General Imamura had thought he was rescued by a cruiser, because in spite of the name, that was the real weight class Takami fought in. DDG-180 was over 8600 tons when empty, and was now just over 11,000 tons fully loaded. And aside from her crew and supplies, much of that extra weight was sheer muscle for the mission of modern era naval combat. A variant of the American built Aegis Ticonderoga Class Cruiser, the ship had a sensor suite second to none, with the AN/SPY1D(V) phased array radar, along with the AN/SQQ-89 Sonar system.

Were they to come on the scene of a typical WWII sea engagement such as that fought recently in the Java Sea, they could not only accurately track the course and speed of every ship, but also of every round being fired, right down to the level of machine gun bullets. The sensors were so good that they could even tell you whether or not an 8-inch shell that had just been fired was going to hit its intended target.

Primarily an anti-air/fleet defense ship, Takami had two Mk 41 VLS Modules, with 64 cells on her forward deck, and another 32 on the superstructure above the helo bay aft. Those cells could mount canisters of several missile types, mostly US developed systems. There was the RIM-66, also known as Standard Missile 2, (SM-2), which was the ship’s primary SAM for air and missile defense. For ballistic threats, there were cells mounting the RIM-161, Standard Missile 3. These two systems paralleled the British Aster 15 and 30 systems installed aboard Argos Fire.

For submarine defense, Takami could also fire the RUM-139 ASROC guided rocket torpedo from its VLS cells, and against other warships a separate system mounted Japan’s latest indigenous SSM project, known as the Type 12 Anti-Ship Missile. Weighing 720kgs, it could push a 300kg warhead out to a range of 200 kilometers at high subsonic speeds. It wasn’t as good as anything the Russians had, but it was nonetheless deadly against any modern ship it might hit. The forward deck mounted a Mark 45 (Mod 4) 5-inch naval gun that could range out 56 kilometers, and the ship also had two triple torpedo tubes to either side amidships, with the Type 68 (Mark 32) 324mm torpedo.

For close in defense, the ship had the very latest in weapons development from native Japanese industry, the long awaited JAX-Heisei-27 Naval Rail Gun system, and the combat ready TR-D1 Laser CIWS system to go along with the two older Phalanx gun systems for close in defense. That rail gun was a new evolutionary leap in thinking and application for naval gunnery. Its main role was not to stand in as a heavy anti-ship battery, but a lighter, quick firing anti-air and missile defense gun. It could fire a 23lb projectile at the dizzying speed of Mach 7, and out to a range of 110 nautical miles, or just over 200 kilometers. There was no explosive warhead at all, but at that speed, a projectile of that weight would deliver 23 mega joules of impact energy to any target it hit.

By comparison, the 16-inch guns on an Iowa class battleship would deliver about 160 mega joules when they hit, so the rail gun was not something designed to go through heavy armor. Against light skinned missiles, planes, or even ships, it could still be lethal, and the round it fired was virtually unstoppable by any other CWIS system of the day. Considering Takami’s brilliant situational awareness in the sensors it employed, the lightning quick efficiency of its computers, the ship was not one any sane sea Captain would ever want to tangle with.

And there it was, in the Makassar Strait off Balikpapan, in 1942, with cruisers, destroyers and transports of the Imperial Japanese Navy on every side, and a flag fluttering over Takami’s aft gunwale that bore the image of the rising sun.

Chapter 2

“Alright,” said the Captain. “We’ve been round and round on this, and nothing any of us have said will change the fact that most every ship we’ve seen out here should have been sunk or scrapped long ago. We can either believe it, or just say we’re all lunatics, but for the sake of this discussion, let’s just assume it is true.”

The ship’s senior officers were all gathered in the wardroom. First Officer Kenji Fukada sat next to the Captain, a steady figure of efficiency. With a logical mind and calm demeanor, the unsettling nature of the last 36 hours was weighing on him heavily. Many of the men had little or no sleep, and the tension on the ship was wound up fairly tight. The news had been hard for a man of his disposition to swallow, but he nonetheless harbored a secret delight in the thought that the ship models he had doted over as a boy, and still treasured as a navy man, had become real things on the seas not 20,000 meters off their starboard bow—as big as life.

Senior Lieutenant Hedeo Honjo, CIC Chief, was also in attendance, his implacable presence reassuring. A heavy set, thick necked man beneath short cropped hair, Honjo had a bullish aspect about him, and the temperament of a sumo wrestler. He was a distant relative of Shigeru Honjo, former commander of the Kwantung Army during the Mukden incident that led to the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, and a man who had been a close confidant of the infamous proponent of the “Strike North” strategy, Sadao Araki.

Junior Lieutenant Koji Nakano was a 22 year old wiry young man watching the Sonars on the ship. No legends surrounded him. He was not ever thought to have the ‘best ears in the fleet’ as Alexi Tasarov was aboard Kirov. He didn’t need the best ears in the fleet, he simply had the best sonar, and serviced radar systems that were second to none.

Nakano would team up with Senior Lieutenant Ryoko Otani, the senior ranking female on the regular bridge crew, and the eyes behind the screens of that AN/SPY-1 Phased Array Radar. Women in the navy first started exclusively as nurses, then moved to communications positions. A very few reached higher ranks of command, and women still made up no more than 6% of the SDF. Otani represented them well, a bright, intelligent woman who was well liked and often noticed by the other male officers. Her father was a navy Captain on a helicopter destroyer, so they minded their manners, but Lieutenant Otani could fend for herself in the largely male dominated seas, and it was her keen eye and radar systems that led the ship through these waters now.

Chief Engineer Ryota Oshiro was a pragmatic workman with a penchant for cleanliness and order. He kept his station that way, and prowled the ship’s engineering plants like a schoolmaster, imposing his rigid standard of excellence on all work completed. When the entire ship’s electrical systems went down, he was ceaseless in restoring order, for every light shined with the borrowed light of his energy, and he kept things running with unfailing dedication to his craft—much to the chagrin of the section crews that had to serve under him. Well done was never good enough for Oshiro. It was either done right, with excellence, or it was done again until that standard was achieved.

Lieutenant Michi Ikida was the ships Navigator. A quiet man, he was always lost in his maps and charts, and often reported directly to Chief Oshiro on plotted courses so the engineering section could gauge probable fuel usage and engine output requirements for the mission. Otherwise he kept to himself, and a few friends he had below decks with the Warrant Officers.

Lastly there was Katsu Kimura, the sturdy Sergeant in charge of ship’s security. Far from the stern and rock like aspect of a man like Sergeant Troyak, KK was an amiable man, liked by everyone on the ship. He had a well-developed sense of humor that often led him into ill-considered pranks. But when it came to managing the Marine contingent, he was all business, all brawn, and the men respected and relied on him, looking up to him as the leader he was.

Assuming this was all true, everyone there had living ancestors at large in this world now. That was the most unsettling thing to think about. Somewhere, out there, were their grandfathers or great grandfathers for the younger crew, though with no one over the age of 33, their parents would have been born well after the war ended. So there was no chance any of them would ever meet their father or mother here as a young man or woman, but the famous “Grandfather Paradox” was alive and well in their minds. For now, they all had a bigger fish to fry here as they gathered around the wardroom conference table—what were they going to do?

In 2021 Japan had healed from the convulsions of WWII, coming to terms with what had happened on one level, whitewashing it on another, and with vast segments of Japanese society simply forgetting it all in the neon glow of cell phones and digital wonders. For some it was all a regrettable skeleton in the history of their nation, not thought of any more than an American citizen might bother themselves with dark memories of Wounded Knee, the Trail Of Tears, and the genocidal treatment meted out to native Indians, or the depravity that was inherent in institutional slavery that was a part of American history until the mid 1860s.

So it was not surprising that official recounting of the history of WWII was presented in softened language, where the Rape of Nanking was referred to as “an incident which led to the killing of many Chinese.” Most accounts of the war were rather dry and emotionless. There were no war heroes to be elevated, no sense of nationalism, no glorification of the military. History books in Japan that crewmen on the Takami had carried around with them in school were not patriotic narratives. For some, the war was seen as a disastrous mistake, and one that was never fully repented. For others it was a war of liberation against Western Imperialism. It was not unusual then, that a cross section of the crew on Takami would find a fairly wide range of opinions on the war.

But now these men and women were in that war, and they could not escape the inexorable gravity of those momentous days that would compel them to a decision on what they should do about it. Because they could do something about it with the ship beneath their feet. It was not a question of whether or not they could bring themselves to act, but one of how they should act, and it would not be an easy decision.

“Now we can sit out here on the edge of things for only so long,” said the Captain. “This Imamura fellow down in sick bay will be wanting us to weigh anchor at Balikpapan tomorrow, and the sight of this ship easing into the harbor is going to roll a few eyes, that’s for sure.”

“We can fly him over,” said Fukada. “Ashfall here is negligible, and the helo can get him over there easily enough with Honjo’s men as a nice little escort.”

“And they will roll eyes at that as well,” said the Captain. At 33, he was the oldest man on the ship, coming to his new post here that very year, for Takami was commissioned in February of 2021. “What if someone panics and opens fire on the helo?”

“We can radio ahead,” Fukada suggested. “Tell them we’ve rescued their General Imamura, and that he will be flying in on a very special aircraft. Impress upon them that no one is to fire at this aircraft. We can even give them the exact ETA at Balikpapan.”

“I suppose that might work,” said Captain Harada. “Now we get to the deeper question in all of this. Is he their General Imamura, or ours as well?”

There was a silence as the other officers digested that.

“You’re asking what side we’re on?” said Fukada.

“Correct. I don’t want to get technical here and cite Article 9 of the Constitution, but this is something we’ll have to decide, and soon. We have no way of knowing if we’ll ever get back to our day… Hell, we still don’t even know how this happened.”

“The volcano,” said Chief Engineer Oshiro sullenly. “Remember that report we got on the Russians up south of the Kuriles when the other one erupted?”

“You mean the Demon Volcano on Iturup Island?” said Fukada,

“Right. That was just three days ago, and we got that SITREP yesterday indicating the Russian flagship and two other ships went down in that eruption. Now this one goes off, and look what happened here to us.”

“You’re suggesting the same thing happened to the Russians?”

Oshiro scratched his head. “Well, it might explain the other SIGINT traffic we’ve picked up on shortwave.” He looked at Ensign Hiroko Shiota, the other woman on the bridge at communications. At only 20 years, she had just made the ranks of Santo Kaii, technically a 3rd Lieutenant, or a position the Navy might call an Ensign until she made 2nd LT.

“Ensign, what is he talking about?” Captain Harada folded his arms, waiting. He had not been informed of any new message traffic.

“I received a coded signal an hour ago sir,” said Shiota. “It didn’t make any sense, until I realized it must have been transmitted in the Japanese Naval Code of this era. So I programmed that into the computers, and—”

“You programmed the entire Japanese Naval Code into our SIGINT dBase?”

“Yes sir. It only took a couple hours. I was going to bring you the results when this meeting was called.”

“She was still working on the damn thing in the officer’s mess,” said Chief Engineer Oshiro. “I got curious.”

“I see… Well Ensign, what does this message say?”

“Ship movement orders for a task force forming in the Sea of Japan. I think it has to do with the Russians sir.”

“The Russians?”

“Sir… I’ve been listening on other radio traffic concerning combat operations underway in the North Pacific. It was mixed in with all the other traffic, but this new code caught my attention. From what I can make of it, that theater is hot now—a shooting war, and there were at least two intercepts referring to the use of naval rockets.”

“Naval Rockets?”

“Aye sir. That was the exact phrase used. Ships were to be alert to the usage of enemy naval rockets, and screen capital ships accordingly.”

“That was in the message stream?”

“That and a hundred other messages. I’ve been trying to log them all, sir—mostly about operations underway in the South Pacific.”

“You mean the stuff you gave me this morning.”

“Yes sir.”

“Well when were you planning to get around to informing me of this decoded intel message, Ensign?”

“Sorry sir, I wanted to make sure I got it right first.”

Captain Harada rubbed his chin. “Alright… Let’s not jump to conclusions about that yet.” He looked at Chief Oshiro, who then spoke up, focusing the question before them again in a very practical way.

“Here’s the SITREP from my perspective down in Engineering,” he said. “I’ll make it as plain and simple as I can. We topped off the fuel bunkers when we made Darwin three days ago. After that we transited the Timor Sea into the Indian Ocean, twiddled our thumbs at Christmas Island, and then swung up through the Sunda Straits, and right into 1942, crazy as that still sounds. Since then we’ve eased up here off the coast of Borneo and finally found clear air. That little trip was about 2075 nautical miles. Now we’re talking about delivering the General down there in sick bay to Balikpapan. Well I tapped Lieutenant Ikida’s shoulder on that one, and that would put us a little over 3000 nautical miles out of Darwin when we get there, assuming that’s what we do. We’ll be at 70% on the fuel bunkers, so in another couple thousand nautical miles, we’re going to dip below the 50% mark and need to start looking for fuel. If we don’t shake hands with a smile at Balikpapan, then the closest port on the other side is back to Darwin, another1330 nautical miles, and by the time we get there again our bunkers will be at under 55%. So I hope they have what we need, because if they don’t, then everything else out here is run by our great grand dads in the IJN.”

That put a fine point on their situation. Takami was not a nuclear propulsion vessel. The initial two units in the class had exclusively used the high performance GE LM2500 gas turbines, which used a highly refined and somewhat expensive fuel. It was great for quickness and fast acceleration, but produced limited range of 4,500 nautical miles. As a quiet testament to Japan’s thinking about slowly building a more capable blue water navy, the last two ships in the class had been modified to use a Combined Diesel and Gas system, known as CODAG.

Japan Diesel United Ltd. had pioneered the design of what was regarded as the most efficient prime-mover in the world at their Aioi Works plant. Designed for large container ships, these turbo-charged Diesel engines soon came to the attention of the Navy, and a new 6 stroke model was purchased for Takami. At slower cruising speeds, the ship would switch to this engine, which could use regular diesel fuel and achieve much longer ranges. For a high speed burst, they would engage the Gas Turbines. This combination more than doubled the sea range of Takami over the lead ship in the class, giving her a range of nearly 11,000 nautical miles.

“Thank you for that report, Chief,” said the Captain. “So it comes down to wondering where our next meal is coming from.”

“And wondering whether we’ll get any kind of a reception at Darwin if we do head back there,” said Fukada. “If I recall the history, the IJN just bombed the place not too long ago. Oh, I suppose we could ease into port, but we’d have to strike our colors, and even then what in the world will they make of a ship run by an all Japanese crew? How do we politely explain that we’re on their side now… and if we do, how in the world do we ever explain it to anyone back home? From that moment on, we’ll be at war with our grandfathers, our own people. Now then…. Imagine if we end up killing one of them? Imagine if we put a missile on the Chief’s old Ojiichan? What happens to him?”

Silence….

The XO’s comment all underscored yet another point. The flag on their ship was the Japanese naval ensign. The nation they were pledged to defend was their homeland, the land of their grandfathers, who would soon all give birth to their parents. It was their blood, in a very real respect, that was now running in their veins. Who were they going to fight for here? They were no closer to a real answer to that on the intellectual level, but emotionally, there was movement in that room, and you could see it on many of the faces of the men around that table. The thought of taking DDG-180 out to sea to fight against Japan was going to be very uncomfortable.

The Captain could read the atmosphere in the room easily enough, yet he also perceived the consequences of what he was now mulling over, and thought it best that he voice them.

“I’ll be the first to say this isn’t the war we ever thought we’d be fighting. Three days ago, it was the Russians and Chinese we were worried about. From what I gather, Japan is at war with them both at this very moment, but the Grandfathers of our old American friends are not their allies here. That’s a bit awkward for us, to say the least.”

“Yes,” said Fukada. “They whipped us pretty damn hard in 1945, occupied Japan, imposed a constitution on us, and here we are in a ship with the American Aegis combat system running the show, and US built missiles in the decks fore and aft. Now we could throw salt in the wounds and turn all those lovely missiles on our own people, but then again, we could also do just the opposite, and give them back to the Americans when they come for Hiroshima and Nagasaki… That’s where my great grandparents live, and that’s where they died too. Their only child, my grandfather, was fortunately at Fukuyama visiting relatives when the bomb fell. Otherwise I wouldn’t be here now…”

Chapter 3

The words of Executive Officer Fukada cut to the bone. In spite of the fact that many of the officers and crew of Takami might have believed Japan’s war was misguided folly, a disastrous gamble that brought nothing but misery to their homeland, and most of Southeast Asia, blood ties run very thick in Japan. Then Lieutenant Ryuko Otani spoke up, voicing a concern that was still at the base of all this discussion.

“Alright,” she said. “These are our people here, our ancestors, impossible as that still seems to me. But let’s not forget what they did. This war was unnecessary. We came south to seize oil and other resources, all in the interest of the new Japanese Empire. A minute ago we were talking about delivering the General to Balikpapan. Well, when the Dutch set fire to destroy some of the oil facilities there, our grandfathers responded by killing every last Caucasian in the city—all of them. The good General there was leading the invasion of Java, where the U.N. reported after the war that three million locals died under the Japanese occupation by 1945. And let’s not forget the invasion of China, the atrocities committed there, and throughout this entire theater. They were simply wrong—no, that doesn’t even begin to say it. They were criminal, and the men who perpetrated or condoned them filled our enemies’ hearts with everything they delivered to Hiroshima and Nagasaki.”

“There were atrocities on both sides,” said Fukada. “Our soldiers called the American 41st Division ‘the Butchers,’ because they never took prisoners—though they made sure they got every gold filling out of the mouths of the men they killed.”

“Oh?” said Otani, “and shall we talk about Unit 731 and the bio-warfare experiments now? They froze prisoners to death just to assess their tolerance to cold. Then they boiled others to see how long they could survive in the heat. And then there was Manila, where our troops raped and butchered 100,000 Pilipino civilians before that city fell in 1944. It goes on and on. How can we support these men, these Generals and Admirals who allowed this to happen? How can we support a man like Tojo? Let’s face it. Some of our ancestors were real monsters.”

“Perhaps we can’t,” said Captain Harada. “Maybe our best option here would be to try to be neutral in all of this—find a safe haven where we can ride this out and try to make sense of what’s happened to us, or find a way back to where we belong.”

“To do that we will have to reach an accommodation with the Japanese armed forces here now,” said Fukada. “The Chief made a good point, we can’t cruise about here for very much longer. We’ll have to find some safe port, and believe me, we may not find one anywhere in Australia. So as I see it, our only option is to sit down to tea with the Japanese authorities here.”

“That would mean we’d have to answer quite a few questions,” said Chief Oshiro. “And I’m not sure we have any of the answers yet. I mean… well we can’t just come out and tell them who we are, can we? For one thing, they’ll likely just laugh in our faces. I no naka no kawazu. How would they possibly comprehend who we are, and what we’re capable of?”

As the Japanese often did, the chief had thrown out the opening lines of an old proverb to make his point. I no naka no kawazu, roughly speaking meant ‘a frog in a well,” and the full proverb read, ‘a frog in a well cannot conceive of the ocean.’

“I’m not so sure,” said Fukada. “To begin with, the very existence of this ship will be somewhat of a mystery to them. There was no Takami in the IJN in 1942, and certainly no ship like this one. They’ll take one look at us and wonder who the hell we are. Certainly they could never understand our computers and technology, but one look at a missile coming off that forward deck will stand in for a thousand words. They’ve apparently seen them in action before, which is a mystery we’ll have to solve. In any case, I’m inclined to think they would end up believing us. No matter how deep their well is, how else could they account for our presence here?”

“Well then,” said Chief Oshiro, “if they do believe us, then I can’t imagine they’ll want to simply fill up our fuel bunkers and let us go happily on our way to look for another volcano. Give them one look at what we’re capable of, and they’ll want us front row center in their fleet. At the very least, they want to get their hands on those missiles.”

“Gold coins to a cat,” said Lieutenant Otani, throwing out a little proverb of her own.

“I agree with that at least,” said the Captain. “We keep our missiles and technology under the decks here where they belong. Besides, there’s no way they could make use of any of it. It would be like giving gold coins to a cat. Our weapons would be nice and shiny, and certainly command their attention, but that’s as far as it would go. There’s no way they could even reverse engineer any of it. The technology is simply too advanced.”

“Then they’ll want us to fight for them,” said Fukada. “They’ll expect it, and to express any reservation would mean we would have to tell them more about how this war ends than they might want to hear.”

“Agreed,” said Captain Harada. “That’s another thing we have to consider. We all know information is power. Tell them they’re going to lose this war and it will only increase their ardor for battle. They’ll insist we fight to prevent that outcome.”

“What if we tried to facilitate a negotiated peace?” said Lieutenant Otani. She had been fiddling with a pen, head down, her long black hair all tucked neatly up under her service cap. A beautiful woman by any standards, her face was troubled now. It was clear the thought of joining WWII on the side of the men who ran the Japanese Empire was difficult for her.

“What do you mean?” said Harada.

“Well… if we could get to the real decision makers, a man like Yamamoto perhaps, then we might convince him of the futility of prosecuting this war, given the inevitable end we all know is likely to come. Perhaps we could convince them to sue for peace with the Americans.”

“After Pearl Harbor?” Fukada shook his head. “Not likely. The Americans would never agree to it.”

“We might make them see things differently,” she persisted. “We can stop them right in their tracks if they won’t listen. We have the power to do that.”

“Perhaps,” said the Captain. “At least this year, and possibly next year, but they ramp up production and put more carriers into the Pacific than we might want to tangle with by 1944. And let’s not forget what they’ll have by 1945. I don’t have to remind anyone here that no ship in our navy has ever carried nuclear weapons. So in a matter of just a few years, they’ll have the proverbial big stick, and as Lieutenant Commander Fukada pointed out earlier, they won’t hesitate to use it.”

“Then we can’t let things go that far,” said Otani. “We have to convince them to make peace before they become the unstoppable force they were by 1945.”

“A little like trying to pacify a tiger after you’ve just raided its den and killed a few cubs,” said Fukada. “Frankly, I think they’d tell us to go to hell, and then they’d go right on with their war. Oh, we could try to sit on the sidelines, but remember what happens after they get bases close enough to bomb Japan. I’m not talking about Hiroshima now. Don’t forget what the fire bombs did to Tokyo. At least 100,000 died there in a single night, with a million more injured and homeless. That was a napalm attack, with the E-46 Cluster Bomb. The lead bombers just came in over the center of the city and lit up a nice little burning letter X. Then the rest of them, another couple hundred or so, just used that for a target. The resulting firestorm nearly burned the entire city to the ground. Yes, the men running this empire were ruthless and cruel, but so were our enemies, so was General Curtis LeMay. That was the most deadly bombing raid in history. What are we going to do, just sit on some island out here and let it happen again?”

“We’re a long way from that,” said Lieutenant Otani. “We can try and divert the course of these events before it ever gets to that point.”

“How?” Fukada was adamant. “By threatening the Americans if they won’t agree to terms? Well they won’t. I can tell you that much right now. So any threat we make will have to be backed up with this ship.”

“But sir, respectfully, aren’t you saying that to try and prevent this war, we have to go to war? That doesn’t make any sense.”

“It will to our enemies…”

No one in the room failed to pick up the obvious fact that Fukada had made up his mind in this matter. Captain Harada was giving everyone a wide latitude to express any opinion or feeling on the matter, no holds barred. It would have to be that way if they were ever to reach a consensus on what to do, for it had to be a consensus. There was no other way. He couldn’t order these men and women to do anything they could not fully support or embrace with their own conscience. In a way, they had to finally decide why they put on those uniforms now. Japan’s military had been considered a civilian body for decades. They were meant to be a defensive force, and specifically prohibited from developing or bearing overtly offensive weapons.

And yet, quietly, almost surreptitiously, the navy had been putting new ships into their order of battle. It was very much like the little shell game the Japanese played with the Washington Naval Treaty, designing cruisers with 6-inch guns, only with barbettes enlarged so they could be quickly converted to full 8-inch gun heavy cruisers. There were two of them out there right now, just over the horizon. They built seaplane tenders and commercial ships with specific requirements that would facilitate the easy conversion to an aircraft carrier. And in modern times, the new “Helicopter Carriers,” all ostensibly for defensive ASW patrols, could now easily receive the new F-35 strike fighter and become offensive carrier platforms. Takami had also just received a more powerful SSM, for defense against enemy ships at sea, or so went the logic. Yet it was a defense that could only be used by attacking the enemy. In accordance with another old proverb, any good officer in a modern day fight knew that the best defense was a good offense.

“Alright,” said the Captain. “We have a very limited range of choices here. We can pick one side or the other, but if we do, we won’t be able to go in half way. It will be all or nothing. Then again, we could try what Lieutenant Otani suggests and try to facilitate a negotiated peace here. That may seem fruitless, but consider the lives we would be saving if it worked. The only other choice is to stay out of it, but Chief Oshiro makes a pretty good point as to the difficulties in that. We’ll need food and fuel, and a safe harbor where we can ride it out.”

“You may get the food and fuel,” said Fukada, “But let’s face it—this war is going to find us one way or another, no matter where we go, unless you’re thinking of Antarctica, or perhaps sailing to South America. We couldn’t stay anywhere in the Pacific, and all the while, we’ll be listening to news of what’s happening over here. And one more thing—do this and we can never go home. I’m going to assume we never find a way out of this mess—that we’re stuck here. So we can stand by and do nothing, but try showing your face again back home in three years—assuming there’s a home left standing in Japan. That message Ensign Shiota was talking about gives me something else to think about. Who else would have rocket technology this early in the war? It has to be the Russians, and if there is fighting up north, then something is amiss here. That never happened until 1945.”

“All the more reason to make some kind of high level contact here and try to find out what is really happening,” said the bullish CIC Chief Hideo Honjo. He was already wanting as much data on their situation as possible.

“That could be dangerous,” said Oshiro.

“Everything we do here from this day forward could be dangerous,” said Fukada. “But the Lieutenant has a good point. If we can meet with a man like Yamamoto and reach some accommodation, then we’ll be in a much better position. Strong as we might seem, a single arrow is easily broken, but not ten in a bundle. That’s where the Chief’s wisdom shines. We can’t go it alone here, so why not take his advice, and Lieutenant Otani’s, and see if we can arrange a conference with the Admiral of the IJN. Yamamoto, of all the personalities at large here, is a man we might deal with.”

“Aye,” said the Chief. “Wade in slowly. No need to jump to any quick decision here now. These people are going to learn about us one way or another. With a man like Yamamoto in our camp, we have many more options than we would if we tried to go it alone.”

The Captain looked at Lieutenant Otani now, giving her a chance to speak again. “Better talk than anything else. I’d support that course of action, but we’d have to be cautious. Wading in slowly sounds like a reasonable proposition, but first the man takes a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes the man.” She looked at Fukada with that, but said nothing more.

“The Lieutenant has a point. In the beginning, walk slowly. I’m not sure we can avoid stepping on toes here. A warship like this can be a very indelicate thing. That said, we can be cautious, as Lieutenant Otani suggests. Alright, I’ll support that course of action. Any other opinions?”

No one else spoke.

“Then, Ensign Shiota, I have a job for you. Use those ears of yours, and that nifty IJN naval code breaker, to find out where a man might find Admiral Yamamoto. In doing that, you might want to nail down exactly what day it is.”

“Oh, I already know that sir. It’s been on all the intercepts I get each day. This is March 1, 1942, and I think Admiral Yamamoto is at Rabaul inspecting the new base there.”

“How do you know that? If you got this from the ship’s library files this may not be anything like the March of ’42 written up in the books. That damn volcano is evidence enough of that.”

“No sir, I’m not much for history books. I just picked up a signal yesterday indicating he would be at Rabaul for the next week. They just finished up some kind of big operation there.”

“I see… Good work, Ensign. Now do something else for me. Use those ears and try and put together a good SITREP. I want to know what is happening in this war. If something as big as that eruption has happened, who knows what else has changed here. Find out, and report to me as soon as you can. In the meantime, I think we should revisit the question how we deliver the General to Balikpapan, or whether we even do so.”

“He’s likely to insist,” said Fukada. “At least that’s what I’ve been hearing from Doctor Hisakawa.”

“He can insist all he wants,” said the Captain. “I’m navy. In fact, the more I think of it, the more I begin to feel we should keep the good general right where he is. We could tell him we’re a top secret outfit, and that Yamamoto has personally ordered that we find and rescue him, and then bring him to meet with the Admiral. I think he’d go for that one. Mister Ikida, what is it you’re pecking away at with that tablet?” He had noticed his Navigator, Michi Ikida, had been absorbed for some time.

“Sir? After the Chief Engineer’s discussion on the fuel situation, I was just doing some preliminary course plots to various locations. I think I can get us to Rabaul from here in six days at an average speed of 20 knots, which is the upper limit for cruising speeds. If we cruise at 15 knots, we’re looking at eight days, but we would have more in the fuel bunkers when we get there.”

“Either way, this fuel issue is going to loom bigger and bigger as we proceed here.” Harada was concerned, but his XO made a quick suggestion.

“What about Japanese fleet oilers? These operations must be supported by replenishment ships. In fact, that General down there might know something about it. If we tell him we need fuel, he might be able to order in support.”

“Can we even use their fuel?” The Captain looked at his Chief Engineer.

“If it’ll burn, I can use it, at least in the diesel system. That’s what we’ve been mainly sipping on this deployment. I’ve only had to use the Gas Turbine system when we needed acceleration. The diesel used here may not be as refined as the stuff we’re used to, but I have some additives aboard that could help. We might have a bit of indigestion, and I may not get the best efficiency from the propulsion system, but I can keep us running if you find me the fuel. As for speed, you’ll have it as long as I can feed those Gas Turbines. We’re at about 92% on that bunker. It’s a very refined fuel, more like aviation fuel, and we won’t find a drop of the stuff here, so keep that in mind.”

The Captain nodded. “Well if we can find diesel here, then I suppose it’s worth a try,” said Harada. “As to Yamamoto, what if he’s gone by the time we get there?”

“Perhaps we could have Ensign Shiota work up a coded signal requesting a meeting with the General,” said Fukada.

“That would seem a bit chancy. How would we identify ourselves in any way that would be convincing enough for the fleet Admiral to respond to such a message? I’m guessing a lowly destroyer Captain won’t have much pull here.”

“But we have a man aboard who just might,” said Fukada. “If this fellow is telling the truth, we have the senior commanding officer of the 16th Army, the force presently conducting the biggest operation they have running at the moment. That eruption has had to shake things up. We can say we’ve rescued this guy, and are en-route on his orders for an urgent meeting at Rabaul.”

“I like that XO. Good call, assuming our guest plays along.”

“He doesn’t have to, sir,” Fukada smiled. “We just tell him he’s been summoned to Rabaul and we have orders to get him there ASAP to coordinate future planning with Combined Fleet HQ.”

The Captain nodded. It could work. “Outstanding. Let’s make it so. Mister Ikida, verify those fuel numbers with Chief Oshiro.” He looked over the room, proud to have this group with him now, good officers, each and every one.

“Mister Kimura, we haven’t heard your wisdom on any of this. Anything to add?”

The Marine Sergeant, shrugged. “At the moment I haven’t quite swallowed this whole fish yet, sir. I do know one thing. We’ve arrived, somewhere. And to prove it, we’re here!” Yankee Catcher Yogi Berra could not have put it any better. He smiled

Part II

All or Nothing

“If you do not enter the tiger’s cave, you will not catch its cub.”

― Japanese Proverb

Chapter 4

Yamamoto did not quite know what to make of the request when he first received it through channels. General Imamura, presumed lost in that terrible disaster off Batavia, had been found and rescued at sea by a destroyer. That was good news, for the entire operation on Java had ground to a halt in the chaos that erupted from that volcano.

We make our plans, he thought. We prepare so carefully, assigning men to ships, building our task groups, and timing everything to achieve the desired outcome. Yet nature has humbled us all. The initial reports on the losses most likely sustained by the 2nd Division are quite alarming. I had counted on using that unit in the Solomons after Java was secured, but that will clearly not happen. And now it seems that the entire area near Batavia will be useless from an operational standpoint for months. The harbor is wrecked, the roads impassable, the airfields covered with ash that still hangs heavily over the entire span of Western Java.

This will make the capture of Surabaya more important than ever, so I suppose the General wishes to coordinate with the navy to determine how we can now move to reinforce troops already landed in that sector. My understanding is that the 5th Division has been taken from Singapore for that purpose, so it will need transport and the assignment of a covering force. General Nishimura at least salvaged one pearl from this clam. His renewed attack on Singapore finally delivered that city and its excellent port, yet it too is under heavy ashfall for the time being, and the city itself is choking with refugees. I’m afraid things will get very ugly there, and Singapore will be of no use to the navy either, and for quite some time.

That ash cloud extends for a wide area, and well out into the Indian Ocean. It was astounding to think I could have heard that eruption even here at Rabaul, over 5000 kilometers from the Sunda Straits. At least we can be thankful that operations in the Solomons will not be affected. After Nagumo successfully covered Operation R, I sent him west with Carrier Division 5 to support the Java Operation, but I will need him back here soon. So perhaps it is best that I meet with General Imamura, and determine what the situation is in the Java Sea. Yet he would be some time coming here, and I am scheduled to move on to Davao. So I will have him meet with me there, a good midpoint between Rabaul and the Java Sea where he was found.

He took a quiet sip of tea, thinking. There was still trouble in the north to consider. Yes, that was as unexpected as this sudden eruption in the south. When we received that ultimatum from the Siberians, no one took it seriously. After all, what could they do? Now it appears that the Siberians have been at war with us since the day of that attack on Pearl Harbor. That they could have sunk Hiryu as Nagumo returned home was most disturbing—not to mention the damage we sustained to both Kaga and Akagi. Thankfully, that was not serious, and both ships were scheduled for refit at this time in any case.

Naval Rockets…

We have heard reports from the Germans on these for some time, but never really paid them any coin. Now it appears we were remiss in that as well. Naval Intelligence Group now believes that the ship that has caused such havoc in the Atlantic for the Germans has moved into the Pacific. If that is so, they could only have come by the Northern Route, and before the ice set in. That must be the ship that is now operating with the Siberians. They used it to cover their operation against Kamchatka—another lapse of both intelligence and planning that I must now account for to the Emperor.

The Army is fuming that they were not supported, but look what happened to Mutsu and Chikuma when they tried to intervene against the enemy landing operation on Kamchatka. Those were good sturdy ships, but now both are wrecked to a point where we will not have them back again for over a year! Perhaps we should proceed with the plans to convert Mutsu into an aircraft carrier, or a hybrid. That might be easier than trying to restore an old battleship that was already obsolete when it sailed north to that encounter.

I will have Kurita meet us at Davao as well, and we will then discuss operations in both the north and south at the same time. We may be taking on more than we realize with the opening of all out hostilities on the northern front. Things should be relatively quiet, but when the ice abates, and it allows us to operate in the Sea of Okhotsk, there will have to be a reckoning with the Siberians. They used the northern port of Magadan as their primary base, and that must be taken, or smashed.

Then there is the loss of Joyaku Kazantochi, the land of volcanoes on Kamchatka. Let us hope none of the fiery mountains that live there, and on our Kurile outposts, ever have a mind to rage as this one did here. Now that the Siberians have been bold enough to take Kazantochi, we will certainly have to plan a counterattack. Our real power was in the northern Kuriles, at Karamushiro and Shumushu, but the port and base we lost to the north was very useful, and we cannot allow the enemy to control it. Beyond that, they have seized all the airfields we were building there, an insult the Army will have to account for, though they will most likely find a way to blame the Navy.

Plans are already in the making. Tojo has recalled Yamashita, and they are assembling a new Army in the Amur region with divisions pulled from Manchuria and Mongolia. Yet soon I will hear that the navy must provide sealift there as well, because there are simply no roads leading to the next likely place of contention, Northern Karafuto, the place the Siberians call Sakhalin.

So… we finally get the one nightmare we had thought to avoid, a war on both our Pacific and Siberian fronts at the same time. It will require swift action, before the Americans can organize for offensive operations. We must deal with this Siberian threat, and complete the conquest of the barrier islands and the Solomons before I face the United States again at sea. Until both those sectors are well secured, I cannot contemplate any further offensive operations aimed at the Americans. The only question is this: what are they now contemplating? We have already seen a slow buildup underway at Fiji and Samoa, which was not unexpected. This makes the early occupation of the Solomons even more essential than Java from my perspective, and I will have to express that opinion to General Imamura. He will be expecting to focus all our energy to salvage the Java operation now, but there is really no threat from Australia, and we have time in our favor. I will need troops from his Army, so I must be very accommodating to any request he may make of the Navy. He already owes us a life, thanks to that destroyer plucking him out of the sea. Strange that the name of that ship was never reported to me.

Now… With Singapore fallen at last, the British have no real strategic reason to project power east of Java. They have fallen back on Colombo, and are more worried about losing Burma than anything else. Taking that was necessary, to cut the Burma Road and isolate the Chinese, though I have long thought that the Army was wasting itself in this quagmire that China has become for us. Now, with the disaster that has fallen on the 2nd Division, we will be scrimping for troops to use in South Seas operations for the foreseeable future. So I must bargain well with this General Imamura. Too much is riding on the Solomons campaign.

His mind dwelled on this for some time, circling the Pacific like a restless shark, swimming from one operational zone to the next. He was thankful that his navy remained one of the strongest in the world. Even though it had been weakened by the loss of Hiryu, and the damage and subsequent refits for Kaga and Akagi, he still had a most formidable carrier force, and the best trained naval aviation on the planet. Now was the time to fight, to employ every measure, every resource, to obtain the strongest possible strategic position before the end of 1942. Then, perhaps, if the enemy can be held at bay and convinced of the futility of fighting on, a negotiated peace might be obtained, though he had serious doubts about that prospect.

Now then… to this meeting with General Imamura. I will make arrangements to depart for Davao at once.

* * *

The plan they had devised to get their meeting with Yamamoto was going to work. As Lieutenant Commander Fukada had suggested, the General did not have to give his consent. They could simply say that because of the urgency of the moment, Yamamoto had requested this top level meeting to re-evaluate the situation around Java. They kept the General in private quarters, well isolated below decks, and gave the crew orders to stay clear. The last thing they wanted was for him to get restless and wander about. Thankfully, a leg wound sustained during his ordeal at sea saw to that. He was laid up in bed, under Doctor Hisakawa’s supervision, and all his meals were served there. The Captain paid him a visit to deliver the news, saying that they had been ordered to Davao on Mindanao to confer with Yamamoto.

To dissuade Imamura from coming up with any other ideas he might then fashion into an order, Captain Harada instructed his communications team to contact local Japanese commanders at Balikpapan, Makassar and Kendari. To do so he first had to relieve Ensign Shiota, realizing that a woman would never have such a position on a warship at sea in 1942. She understood his concerns, and he kept her as supervisor, coordinating all signals traffic and code work. The voices on any radio transmission, however, would have to be spoken by men.

Using call signs and codes provided by Imamura himself, they were able to establish a number of comm-links, and obtain status reports on the operations then underway. This allowed the General to arrive with his wits about him, as he was going to have to know these details with Yamamoto. Getting into the meeting itself was the next problem. Captain Harada wondered how they would arrange that.

“Don’t ask,” said Fukada. “We just go, the two of us. We’ll accompany the General, and no one will be the wiser.”

“That may get us to the meeting site, but I’m talking about the door that might end up between Yamamoto, Imamura and the two of us. I don’t think we’ll be offered chairs at that table.”

“Oh, yes we will,” said Fukada. “The instant we ease into the harbor, every head there will be fixed on us. We’re unlike anything they have ever seen at sea.”

“I’m not so sure they’ll be all that impressed,” said the Captain. “After all, we look a bit like a sleek fleet auxiliary ship, and with just that one visible deck gun forward. Sure, we’re much bigger than any destroyer of this era. Our displacement is three times that of a typical WWII destroyer. We’re in the heavy cruiser weight class here, but to them, it will seem like we wouldn’t get past the first round with one of their ships. We look like a seaplane tender. We look toothless.”

“Let’s count on curiosity first,” said Fukada. “They’ll certainly want to know who and what we are. There’s no Takami in the IJN fleet at this time.”

“Should we even use that name? Would it be easier if we just identified ourselves by hull number?”

“No,” said Fukada. “The IJN ditched simple hull number identification in favor of ship names long ago. I say we just call it like it is. We tell them were Destroyer Takami, or even Cruiser Takami if that feels better to you. Then they’ll want to know what’s going on. It may not get us a seat at Imamura’s meeting, but I’m willing to bet they’ll want to sit down with us afterwards.” Fukada had been thinking about this situation for some time, running through the possibilities in his mind.

“Damn,” said the Captain. “This whole thing still seems absolutely crazy. I still pinch myself every time I get up from the cot to see if I’m not dreaming. Kenji, you seem like you’ve warmed to it all in just these few days, but how in the world could this have happened to us?”

“I just don’t know sir. That eruption may have had something to do with it. That’s all I can say. Sergeant Kimura had the best line on it. We’re here. I can’t argue with what my eyes, ears, and nose tell me. Those ships we passed off Balikpapan were all vintage 1940s IJN warships. Believe me, to an old modeler like me, it was a real feast. I still can’t believe it myself, but I’ve accepted it as real, and dangerously so. We’ve got to use our heads now. Our presence here is very significant.”

“No question about that,” said Harada. “But do you realize what we’re considering here? We’re talking about intervening in history, am I right? No man can see the far ends of his choices, but if this ship gets entangled with this war, things are going to turn out much different. They would have to be different.”

“They already are sir…” Fukada let that hang.

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve been hanging out with Ensign Shiota.”

“Ah, I always thought you had eyes for her.” The Captain smiled.

“It’s not that,” said the XO dismissively. “I wanted to see how that SITREP you wanted was coming along. Well get this… The Japanese are fighting with Siberia up north. We’ve intercepted three messages that alluded to that.”

“The Russians?”

“The Siberians. That is what is strange about that traffic. From what I could gather, there was some kind of attack on Kamchatka recently.”

“Kamchatka, did we ever hold that during this war?”

“No, just the northern Kuriles, but this traffic clearly talked about Japanese units being withdrawn from a place called Kazantochi.”

“Can’t say I’ve ever heard of it.”

“Me neither, but there’s more. We picked up traffic indicating additional naval support was to be sent to Urajio. That one I looked up—it’s Vladivostok, an old name from the 1800s.”

“Vladivostok. You’re saying the Japanese are sending ships there?”

“Three destroyers and a cruiser were ordered there yesterday, and the odd thing about it was that it seemed as though the place was already Japanese occupied territory.”

“Well that doesn’t make any sense,” said Harada, “but considering I’m sitting in the Celebes Sea in 1942, I guess I shouldn’t be picky. What else have you turned up?”

“BBC radio broadcasts. Shiota got an earful last night—a big offensive underway in Russia.”

“That I can understand.”

“Except from what she could gather, the Germans were in Moscow, and the Russians were trying to push them out. Well, I went down to the ship’s library. Come to find out, the Germans never set foot in Moscow. They got close, but the Russians held them off, yet not according to these news broadcasts. And here’s another thing. There’s been a mention of a man named Sergei Kirov running things over there.”

“Some Russian General?”

“The title was General Secretary—of the Communist Party!”

“Wasn’t that Stalin?”

“Right. He held the office until 1952, but there’s been no mention of him at all. It’s all this Kirov fellow. Whatever’s going on here, things appear to be quite different. The history is already twisted—just like that damn volcano was never supposed to erupt this year. I looked that up too. It was supposed to happen in 1883. Something is really strange in all of this.”

“That’s one hell of an understatement.” Harada looked very troubled. “This can’t be happening XO. It just can’t be happening.”

“We better get past that sir, and quickly. It is happening, just like Kimura said. We’re here, and right in the middle of the Miso soup. The only question we should be asking ourselves now is what we’re going to do about it.”

Chapter 5

It was three days from the coast of Borneo north of Batavia to the port of Davao in the southern Philippines. That was good news insofar as their concerns about fuel had been uppermost in mind. There they saw a sight that put an end to any vestige of doubt in the minds of any who saw it, the mighty battleship Yamato, 72,000 tons of steel reality anchored well out in the bay, and surrounded by a gaggle of destroyers. Lieutenant Commander Fukada stared and stared, in awe of the ship, and the realization of what they were now planning to do. There, within that massive fortress at sea, the legendary Admiral  Isoroku Yamamoto was waiting, if they could convince him to receive them.

A medical team accompanied them to see to General Imamura’s comfort, along with Katsu Kimura and three Marines. They moved the General and the other man out by a route that would reveal as little as possible of the inner workings of the ship, and soon they were in a launch and scudding across the bay towards the imposing hulk of the great battleship.

Yet, as Fukada had predicted, there was a good deal of curiosity directed their way as well. Men on the destroyers gawked and talked among themselves, wondering what this new ship was. While it’s design certainly made it seem like a warship, they had more guns on their small destroyers than this ship had. Perhaps it was a secret courier ship, they reasoned, or a ship devoted to command level operations at sea. Here it was delivering an Army General, Commander of the 16th Army in the current Java Campaign, so it must be important.

Sergeant Kimura waited at the launch below, sending one Marine up the gangway with the officers and medical team. The General’s leg had healed enough to allow him to walk, and he asked the medics to remain below, as a matter of face. He would not greet the Admiral of the Fleet as walking wounded. He was, in fact, the senior officer in the Imperial Japanese Army for hundreds of miles in any direction, and he acted as if he expected everyone else around him to know that. It was no surprise, then, that they were greeted respectfully, piped aboard, and politely escorted up to the Admiral’s conference room in the main superstructure of the great battleship, a trip that delighted Fukada. They were all decked out in their dress whites, ghosts from a distant future, walking among legends of the past.

Reaching the conference room, an aide invited the Captain and his First Officer to a table set with white linen and a stylish tea serving. Imamura was greeted with respectful bows, and ushered through a door on the far wall.

“May I ask a moment of the Admiral’s time after this conference?” said Captain Harada. “We have urgent news that could not be transmitted by signal for reasons of security.”

“Very well,” said the aide, a smallish, flat haired man with round wire eyeglasses. “I will make the request to the Chief of Staff, but cannot promise anything myself.”

Some moments later, a man entered the room, dour faced and well decorated. Recognizing authority when they saw it, the two men immediately stood, bowing politely and saluting.

“Rear Admiral Ugaki, Chief of Staff,” said the Aide.

“Be seated, gentlemen,” said the man, his eyes hard, taking notice of their uniforms and insignia, and with a look that bordered on suspicion. He softened briefly, seating himself. “I am told General Imamura owes you a life. Your rescue operation was most fortunate, and you are to be commended.”

“Thank you sir,” said Captain Harada.

“You have news that needs to be conveyed to the Admiral?”

“We do, sir. It concerns our ship, among other things, and it is imperative we speak with him privately.”

“Privately? That will not be possible,” said Ugaki. “But you may speak with me here. What is this news you bring along with General Imamura?”

Captain Harada’s concerns about being on the other side of a wall from Yamamoto were now realized. Here was a human firewall, the tough Chief of Staff of the Combined Fleet, who had decided to fly a final Kamikaze mission personally, to atone for the inability of his pilots in 1945, and he did so after he heard the Emperor’s order for all forces to lay down arms and surrender.

Captain Harada was not familiar with the man, or the long naval history that saw him reach this position of authority, but Fukada was. He had taken it upon himself to study up the previous evening, knowing he would have to navigate the waters of the Combined Fleet Headquarters with its floating command center, the battleship Yamato.

“If I may, sir,” he said quietly. “Meaning no disrespect, we have been sent with this information for the ears of Admiral Yamamoto only.”

“Sent? On that ship?” Ugaki folded his arms, eyes narrowing with that look of suspicion. “Are you aware of the fact that the name you have given for your ship does not presently exist on the registry of commissioned ships in this navy? For that matter, that ship is not familiar to me at all. It is most unusual. And now you tell me you were sent here with this important information? Explain! Are you Kempeitai? Tokkeitai? Who sent you here?”

Captain Harada gave his First Officer a disparaging look. He had not expected this story from Fukada, and his instinct was that it would come to no good. It implicitly took the line that they were men of this day and time, on some nefarious operation, and with a ship that had been held in secret, even from the highest officers in the Navy. It did not seem like it would wash, then again, he could think of no alternative to what Fukada was saying. They simply could not come out with the truth, and tell this man they were time travelers from the future, here by accident, and with information vital to the outcome of this war—at least not right at the outset. They had barely been able to convince themselves that was what was happening here, but convincing this man, or a no-nonsense realist like Yamamoto, now seemed an impossible task, and something that would be ludicrous to even attempt. But what else could they do?

That was perhaps the reason Fukada took this approach, he thought. We can’t tell them who we really are yet, because we would simply not be believed, at least not in a situation like this conference. It was going to take a little shock and awe, as the Americans of their own time might put things. If they could demonstrate the amazing technical superiority their ship represented, then they might get their first hold on these men. But even then, could they move them in any meaningful way? This whole scenario seemed a dangerous and fruitless thing to him now. They should have fled for any open sea they could find, and stayed as far from the men of this era as possible. They should have sailed for South America, beached their ship, and set the destroyer on fire. Yet that was a sea journey of over 11,000 miles, impossible unless they found fuel along the way.

He had considered that, after the long discussion that set them on this course. Hide the ship somewhere, beach it, then burn it to the ground to prevent any of its secrets from ever being discovered here. That was the safe course, one that might prevent them from influencing this history, but they had not seriously discussed that. It would have meant the entire crew would be marooned, and that they would live out their lives here, very special and knowing men and women, yet they would all have to be sworn to keep the secret they buried with the ship, and for the rest of their lives.

Yet they had never gone that deep. The meeting to decide things had bounced from concerns over fuel, a matter of self-preservation if they were to keep the ship operational, and then to which side they might be on, with opinions and feelings running deep on both halves of that question. Clearly Fukada seemed to think and feel that they could not abandon Japan now, or ever return home again if they did. They would be strangers in this strange land, outcasts from their own nation and people, no matter which course they took. Every road left them pariahs. Now where was Fukada going with this?

“Sir… It is correct that our ship does not appear on any active duty register. The reason for this will be disclosed to Admiral Yamamoto, but to no one else. Those are our orders, and respectfully, they come from an authority beyond that which is vested in this Headquarters.”

In Fukada’s mind, it was now an all or nothing play to get this audience with Yamamoto. They could not allow themselves to run aground on the outer shoals of his staff here. That they had come this close, and so easily, was already a great windfall. Here was the Chief of Staff of the Combined Fleet, a most powerful man, but they needed to get to his boss, and as quickly as possible.

“Beyond this headquarters…” Ugaki smiled. “Then Nagano sent you?” This was the Chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff, and the one man now senior to Yamamoto himself.

“Sir, you press me for details that I cannot now give. This is understandable, but our instructions were very specific, and our oath prevents us from any other option. If you will grant us this brief meeting with the Admiral, all will be made clear.”

“I see… and if I refuse this audience?”

“Then we will have failed to carry out our orders, and would have no option other than seppuku.”

“Seppuku? I would be most happy to stand as kaishakunin in that instance, and even lend you my Tanto blade if you so desire. If that is the line you draw now between us, then write your death poem, Lieutenant Commander. That is another thing I find distasteful. That uniform… those insignia. You come here on a strange ship, flying the Japanese naval ensign, and yet you are clearly not regular navy.”

“No sir, we are not regular navy.”

“And you speak out of place, with your Captain sitting there like a deaf mute.”

Captain Harada was dumbstruck. Fukada’s subterfuge had left him in a most awkward position. He either had to play along, reinforcing the stack of lies his Executive Officer was laying on the table, or what? He could think of nothing else to say here. But Ugaki’s last statement prodded him, and he knew he had to speak. He turned now to Fukada, trying to muster the thunder of real anger.

“Lieutenant Commander… That will be enough!”

At that moment the door to the conference room opened, and there stood the legend himself, Isoroku Yamamoto, his face unmistakable to them both, broad head, soft thoughtful eyes that had a great hidden depth to them, and an aura of calm surrounding his placid features.

“Admiral Ugaki,” he said quietly. “Please show these two officers in. I wish to speak with them.”

Ugaki raised both eyebrows, looking from Yamamoto to Fukada, clearly surprised. “Very well,” he huffed, his eyes firmly on Fukada as he stood, quite abruptly, his arm extended to the door where the Admiral waited. Now General Imamura emerged, a satisfied look on his face, and his eyes also found Fukada as the two officers stood, instinctively saluting Yamamoto, who returned with a subtle gesture toward the open door.

Admiral Ugaki was clearly not happy, but cautious about saying anything further in front of Yamamoto. Then he thought the better of that, and spoke up.

“Admiral, may I join you?”

“In a moment,” said Yamamoto. “Please be so kind as to escort General Imamura to the officer’s dining room. Then come back here and join us.”

Ugaki hesitated briefly, then made a polite bow, and his arm gestured towards the door, showing General Imamura the way. He had not failed to notice the look the General gave the Lieutenant Commander, an almost conspiratorial glance. That was what he suspected here, with this strange ship, and two equally strange men in dress white uniforms with insignia that were clearly not regular navy.

The Captain had four bars and a star, when he should have four bars, with the last forming a circle, and then three stars on his shoulder boards. Who were these men? Were they Kempeitai as he had suggested, the secret police, or Tokkeitai, the equally shadowy group within the IJN? Were they sent here by Nagano, or someone higher in the civilian authority? As he escorted the General out, he could not help wishing he could see that impudent Lieutenant Commander slitting his belly as he proposed. Now he resolved to get the General to the officers dining room, and then return here as soon as possible to get to the bottom of this. Were these men searched? Did they pass a security check before they were sent up here?

Yamamoto waited for Ugaki and Imamura to leave, then gestured to the open door to his stateroom. “Gentlemen,” he said. “General Imamura was most insistent that I speak with you. Please come in.”

Now Fukada smiled inwardly, for he had gone to Imamura’s quarters on the ship the previous night to secure the General’s support for just this reason. He figured that Imamura would be granted immediate access to Yamamoto, and if he could persuade him to make the request, it might get them through any red tape to see the Admiral.

“General,” he had said, “We have saved you from a certain death, and now I ask a favor of you. We have orders to speak with Admiral Yamamoto, but, the navy being what it is, we are likely to be tied up with a member of the headquarters staff. Can you help us?”

“Certainly,” Imamura had told him. “I owe you a great debt, and I would be happy to make the request on your behalf.”

How they came to that understanding, Fukada would keep to himself for some time. Yet it had worked. The General had made good his promise, and there they were at long last, face to face with the Admiral himself.

Now, thought Fukada, what do we really tell him here that will make any difference? The Captain wasn’t prepared for the line I took with Ugaki. It took him a while, but he finally realized it was all or nothing here. Let’s hope he understands what we must do now. Let’s hope all of us understand the gravity of this situation. We’re here, just like Sergeant Kimura put it. We’re here, and we’re going to matter, because, by all Gods and Devils, I intend to make certain of that.

He smiled, realizing the challenge before him, but warming to the prospect of all it might bring, of everything he might change with the ship sitting out there, looking like a fast seaplane tender, but something very much more.

With that ship, there would be no disaster at Midway. No. With what I can find out and know about the outcome of this war, every mistake and misstep could be avoided. And the Americans… I always liked them back at home base, and they make damn good equipment. But realizing they have been sitting there for the last 80 years only because of the destruction and humiliation of our nation is too much to leave alone now. It was something to be borne, inwardly, silently, hidden away, because there was nothing we could really do about it. It was all in the past, an old ancestral shame that we all preferred to forget, though for me it has always been a part of my shadow. But now that’s exactly where I am, right in the middle of this damn war, and with a ship that can change everything.

And whether Captain Harada knows it or not, that is what we must do now, even if it means I have to take matters here into my own hands.

Chapter 6

“Gentlemen,” said Yamamoto, taking a place behind his work desk. “Please be seated. General Imamura speaks highly of you, and it was fortunate that you and your ship came across him. As to your ship…” He paused, looking at them both as if he were trying to see some clue or sign that revealed who they really might be, for they were certainly not officers in his Imperial Japanese Navy, nor was that ship like any he had ever seen before. He knew every ship in his fleet, and its design was most unusual.

“I am told by the General that you are the senior officers aboard the Takami. You are undoubtedly aware that there is no ship by that name in the navy, and even though you pose as officers here, uniforms and all, nothing will convince me you are who you claim to be. The question now is why? Explain yourselves.” He folded his hands, waiting.

Fukada looked at the Captain, seeing him hesitate, wondering what they could say. They had determined to come here, but had not really sorted out exactly how they would convince the Admiral of their story. Fukada made one suggestion, yet the thought of actually carrying it out set the Captain’s heart thumping.

“Sir, I know that our appearance, and that of our ship, may raise these questions, but I am afraid I have no easy answer for you. In fact, we have not yet determined what really happened to us. We had just transited the Sunda Strait, enroute to Singapore, when we heard that enormous roar—the volcano. To answer you directly, we realize our ship will not be familiar to you.”

“Then you admit you are not regular Japanese Navy? Yet you pose as such. You even fly the naval ensign of our nation. What shall I do now, have you and your crew hauled off as spies? Is that what you are, and why you are here on that vessel? You think you can just blithely sail about in our midst like this and not be found out? I should have you executed! Now who are you?”

The Admiral allowed just the right touch of anger in his voice, though his curiosity about these men and their ship was very great. He had spent some time studying the vessel closely from the port hole of his stateroom. It was very curious, its mainmast angled back and bristling with odd antennae. The single deck gun forward was most unusual, but he could see no other weapons. When he learned from General Imamura that the ship’s Captain and Executive Officer were waiting right outside his door, and asking to speak with him, he decided he simply had to get to the bottom of this little mystery.

“Sir,” said the Captain. “I am Captain Takechi Harada, and this is my Executive Officer, Lieutenant Commander Kenji Fukada. We may not look the part, but we are indeed commissioned officers in the Japanese Navy, only not the force you now command.”

“Not the force I command? Whatever do you mean… Captain? If you were going to pose as such, you might have taken the time to see to the details of the insignia you put on that uniform! I take a very dim view of a man who has not earned the stripes he wears. Too many others have sacrificed their lives and honor to wear that uniform.”

“Sir, I have been in the service of our nation, in the navy, for ten years, and I assure you, I have earned the position I now hold. Yet we must explain something now that may be difficult for you to understand, or even comprehend. I was not sure how we could do so, or even if it was wise for us to request this meeting, but we find ourselves here, and… we are Japanese, every member of my crew, and sworn to the defense of our nation.”

“If I may, sir,” said Fukada. “We knew these would be your first questions, Admiral, and rightfully so. We will give answer, but I must ask you to please grant us the benefit of every doubt as we proceed. To answer you, our actions will speak louder than words. Yes. It is understandable that you would think we are imposters, or that our ship also flies that ensign to deceive. But I assure you, as my Captain has said, we are Japanese, and honorable men, sworn to the service of our nation just as you are. Allow us to prove this to you.”

“Prove it?”

“Yes sir. If you will grant us your forbearance, then all will be made clear.” He glanced at the Captain, an expectant look in his eyes, and Yamamoto thought he perceived a silent accord pass between the two men. They were in different bodies, but clearly of one mind, and though his suspicion darkened somewhat with this observation, the accusation he had just leveled at these men was a very serious one. This was, in fact, a life or death situation for them now, for if it were proved that they were imposters, they would certainly meet with swift and unfriendly justice.

“Admiral,” said the Captain. “Is there a weather deck convenient where we can have a view of our ship? We have something aboard that will be of great interest to you—something that can be seen and immediately understood, where a thousand words might fail to convey the meaning.”

Yamamoto frowned. “You seem to be spending a good many words here, and end up saying nothing. Yet given the consequences of your actions, which I hope you both understand, I will indulge you. He called for his orderly. “Lieutenant Saito. Summon the Marine Guard, and then escort these men to the upper weather deck off the main bridge. I will join them in a moment.”

The Captain and First Officer knew implicitly that they had just been granted a great boon, but they also knew that their lives may now depend on the outcome. Earlier, they had gone round and round as to how they might convince Yamamoto to give them a fair hearing. The notion of simply telling him what they themselves still saw as an impossible truth, seemed fruitless. They would be taken for lunatics if they were to say they had come here from a far off future, on a ship built in the Japan of the 21st Century. Yet, Fukada had come up with the only solution that might work—seeing was believing. They had stared at Mogami class cruisers, seen Imamura in the flesh, the very image of the man in every photograph they could find in their ship’s library data. Without some similar shock to the senses, they could never get this man to believe their story, or have any credibility.

So they had devised this simple plan. Stand there on the deck of Yamato and show the Admiral something that even his mighty ship could not do. Both men were wired with small transmitters, which could be activated by merely pinching the gold pip on their collar. They both stood up, facing Yamamoto, and making a respectful bow, Futsurei, that they then extended even further, beyond the normal 45 degrees to Saikeirei. The former was expected with anyone in rank or authority above you, the latter reserved for rare and special occasions, for it conveyed profound respect or the deepest regret.

Then they were escorted out, under guard, and the adrenaline rose in each man’s chest as they walked the stairway up. This had better work, thought Fukada as they went. If it doesn’t, we won’t be able to bow our way off this ship. Everything depends on this… everything….

Yamamoto frowned, shaking his head when the door to his stateroom was closed. The effrontery of these men! Yet his curiosity had the better of him. They were very strange, and he knew his Chief of Staff had sat with them briefly, and come to some conclusion about them, so their request to adjourn to a weather deck allowed him the opportunity to consult with Ugaki. There came a quiet knock on the door, and the Chief of Staff was shown in.

“Well,” he said, “what is it they had to speak with you about?”

“I do not know that just yet,” said Yamamoto. “It is clear that they were not regular navy, and that ship isn’t ours either. And yet they are obviously Japanese.”

“That means nothing,” said Ugaki. “You and I both have many enemies, and as many Japanese among them as Americans or British.”

“Only too true,” said Yamamoto. “Your thoughts on this?”

“They may be Kempeitai, or Tokkeitai practicing their little security dance of Kikosaku. Then again, they might have been sent here by Nagano, or someone higher in the civilian authority.”

“Why?” asked Yamamoto. “Surely not to spy on us. If the Tokkeitai wanted to do that, they would be very sly about it. They would not come here on a ship like that, and dressed as they were. It would only invite the very questions I asked of them, and the rebuke I gave them in no uncertain terms.”

“Have you sent them to the brig?”

“Not yet. They were escorted under guard to the upper weather deck off the bridge. Kindly accompany me there.”

“What for?”

“That remains to be seen. They said they had something on their ship I would be very interested in—something they wish to show me. If nothing else, they have piqued my curiosity. They both know their fate will be decided by what happens next, and surely they knew that when they came here. It was clear to me that, whatever they want to reveal, it was pre-arranged by the two of them.”

“Pre-arranged? What if they have some mischief in mind?” said Ugaki. “Remember, there have been death threats. That is why Yonai secured this position for you as head of Combined Fleet when you lost your position as Vice Navy Minister—to get you out of the country and avoid assassination. Frankly, I took one look at these men and began to feel they were up to something here. They would not answer my questions, saying they were sworn to speak only to you, and the junior officer said he would have to commit seppuku if they failed to do so. Imagine that. The gall of the man! I was most eager to lend him my sword, and said as much. They may be operatives of the secret police, and in that case your life may be in danger now. I was even reluctant to see them enter your stateroom alone as you permitted. Something is very shady with these two. To begin with, where did they get that ship?”

“They have not answered that question just yet.”

“Then let us remove a few of their fingernails and find out before we put the sword to them.”

“Not just yet,” said Yamamoto, holding up a hand. “Then we begin to act like the Tokkeitai ourselves. I will indulge them briefly here. If this thing they wish to show me does not answer our questions, then I will deal with them, rest assured.”

“What could they show you? Perhaps they merely want to get you out onto the open deck and into an exposed position. What if there is a marksman out there on that ship waiting to assassinate you?”

“Then he will have to be a very good shot,” said Yamamoto with a chuckle. “We are anchored over 2000 meters from their ship. They are way over on the far side of the bay.”

“I still don’t like it…” Ugaki fumed.

“Do not worry about those death threats. Come. Let us go up and see the final act of this little drama. They will either be dining with us this evening in the officer’s hall, or eating their last meal on the cold metal deck of the brig.”

* * *

The way up did not take long, and soon Yamamoto and Ugaki emerged from the side hatch in the high conning tower of the bridge. Lieutenant Commander Fukada could see the stern aspect in their faces, and knew that this was the moment of truth. Yet he knew they had to enter the Tiger’s den one way or another here, and now he only hoped the demonstration they had arranged would be enough to impress these men. They made another respectful bow, and then asked if they might proceed.

“Please do so,” said Ugaki. “We have things of importance to attend to.”

The Captain nodded, pinched off his collar and spoke quietly, as if to himself. Then he turned to the Japanese officers and gestured to his ship across the bay.

“Gentlemen,” he said. “I invite you to witness a brief demonstration. Please watch closely…”

A moment later, Ugaki squinted at the distant ship. Then moved to the nearby stationary binoculars, his face lost and only his bald head visible above the lens cups. He thought he saw something rise slowly off the aft deck, hovering briefly over the ship, and then rising swiftly up, gaining altitude and coming their way. As it approached, they heard a quiet thrum, and Fukada turned to Yamamoto.

“Sir, the Captain has asked me to explain this brief demonstration. That is a small target craft. We call it a drone, and I have given instructions that it should be flown closer to Yamato so you may observe it more closely.”

Yamamoto, looked at him, unimpressed. “You called me up here to see the launch of a target plane? Any ship in this task force could do as much.”

“Sir, this drone is unmanned. There is no pilot. It is being operated remotely by a technician on our ship. If you happened to notice, it rose directly up from our aft deck, unassisted by any catapult as with the launch of a seaplane. In a moment you will see that we can bring this craft to a complete halt, and hover in place.”

True to Fukada’s word, the small craft approached to a point where they could see the whirling props, four of them, all pointed upwards. Yamamoto could see that it had no wings or tail at all, and was unlike any aircraft he had ever seen. He raised an eyebrow, curious, yet the object seemed almost like a toy in his estimation. It drew closer, hovered in place, which he found quite interesting, and then, on an order from the Captain, it slowly began to climb, a bright strobe light now flashing to easily mark its position in the blue sky. It moved swiftly, angling out over the center of the bay, which was five to seven kilometers wide at this point, framed off by two islands near the city.

They had decided to fly it out over the bay to the south and then shoot it down with a RIM-66H from the Vertical Launch System.

“Please watch the forward deck of Takami closely sir.” Fukada pointed, and the Captain gave the order quietly, heard clearly by Senior Lieutenant Hideo Honjo back on the ship. Seconds later, they heard what sounded, and looked, like an explosion on the forward deck of the distant ship. Then something arced up with a fiery yellow tail and a trail of white smoke, the audible roar heard ever louder as it streaked into the sky. The target drone was hastening south out to sea, but the missile tracked it unerringly, homing in and catching it with lightning quick speed. Then came the explosion, and Ugaki’s head was out from behind the stationary binoculars. He watched, gawking, as the last vestige of the missile strike slowly dissipated.

The noise sent many of the crew out onto the decks, and some even rushed to man AA guns, until Admiral Yamamoto turned and growled at Ugaki.

“I gave no order that this ship was to come to battle stations. Tell those men to stand down at once!”

Ugaki nodded, shouting down at a Lieutenant near one of the Type 96 25mm AA guns. Then Fukada turned to explain.

“Sir, what we have demonstrated here is the use of a controlled guided missile, or rocket. Our ship is equipped with these weapons for air defense, and they are capable of seeking out and finding an enemy aircraft at ranges as close as you just witnessed, or as far away as ninety nautical miles for this version.”

Yamamoto looked at him. “Did you say ninety miles?”

“Yes sir, nautical miles. That would be roughly 166 kilometers, and we also have extended range variants that can hit targets much farther out than that, and with the same precision and accuracy as you just witnessed.”

“It can hit something that far away? Impossible. How would you even see the target to aim such a rocket?”

“Our ship will see it sir, with its highly sophisticated radars, and once launched, the rocket itself has its own radar to find and home in on its assigned target.”

“Not possible,” said Ugaki. “Ninety nautical miles?”

“Most defensive fire missions might occur inside that range,” said Fukada, but yes sir, the rocket has that range. Now then, we have one last thing to show you, and then perhaps we can return to the Admiral’s stateroom and answer any further questions you may have.”

The last thing they had decided to demonstrate was the SH-60K helicopter, which now launched off the aft deck of the Takami, the distinctive thrum of its rotors pounding the air as it climbed up.

“With your permission sir, the Captain will instruct that aircraft to approach for closer view.”

“You mean to shoot this down as well?” said Ugaki.

“No sir, that is a most valuable craft. We call it the Seahawk, and it is used for a number of purposes. It can complete air ferry operations from ship to ship, and land or take off from any open deck space. It could even land on that big forward gun turret there. Furthermore, it carries special buoys that can be dropped into the sea to listen for enemy submarines, and when it hears one, it can launch torpedoes to seek out that sub and destroy it, just as you saw our rocket take down that target drone. It is also capable of carrying smaller missiles that can defend it from other aircraft, or strike targets on land, but at a much shorter range than the missile we just demonstrated. We use it to carry Naval Marines, conduct search and rescue, or other special operations as may be required and ordered by the Captain.”

The helicopter approached, and to their amazement, it came to a complete standstill and hovered. Yamamoto had seen such a craft before, the rudimentary Kayaba Ka-1 autogyro being developed for the army as a potential artillery spotter. Yet it was nothing compared to this craft, which now hovered noisily off the side of the great battleship, its downwash flaying the sea beneath it. They could clearly see the pilot, who saluted smartly, and then the craft angled away, back towards the Takami. They watched it in silence until it hovered briefly above the ship, and then landed.

Yamamoto gave Ugaki a look, then turned to the two men, the anger and annoyance long gone from him now. “Gentlemen,” he said. “Please accompany Rear Admiral Ugaki and I to my stateroom. It seems we have much more to discuss here than your uniforms.”

“It would be our pleasure sir,” said Captain Harada, “and we thank you for your forbearance.”

Part III

Resurrection

“Fall down seven times, stand up eight…

Wake from death and return to life.”

― Japanese Proverb

Chapter 7

“A moment ago you stated you could speak only with Admiral Yamamoto,” said Ugaki. “Yet I am his Chief of Staff, and he has asked me to attend this meeting. If that is not acceptable to you, then we will graciously grant your wish to visit your ancestors.” He looked at Fukada, his eyes cold.

That is exactly what we are already doing, he thought, visiting our ancestors, but he said nothing, looking at Captain Harada.

“Under the circumstances,” said Harada, knowing he had to diffuse the obvious tension between the two men, “it was I who ordered Lieutenant Commander Fukada that our information should be revealed only to the Admiral, and to speak as he did to you earlier. I can see now that was a regrettable error, and I ask your pardon, Admiral Ugaki.” He offered a suitable head bow, which Ugaki returned, his pride assuaged for the moment.

“Good,” said Yamamoto. “Now that no one is going to slit their belly, I have decided to keep your heads on your shoulders for the time being as well. So let us get down to the matter at hand. That was a most interesting demonstration. I must tell you that rumors concerning these naval rockets have been buzzing about the fleet like bothersome flies. And now I see the reality with my own eyes. Alright. Explain. Where did you get these weapons? Were you sent here by our government?”

In a way, Captain Harada was grateful the Admiral had asked him more than one question. That way he could answer the easiest one and overlook the others.

“These weapons were delivered by the Japanese government, but Takami is unlike any other ship in your fleet. In fact, no one in the navy, not even here at the very highest level of command, knows of the existence of this ship, which is why we were most concerned about secrecy. As you have seen, these are very capable weapons, most deadly. They can do everything we have already told you, and at the ranges Lieutenant Commander Fukada mentioned earlier.”

There, everything he had just said was true. He had just not made it clear which Japanese government delivered the weapons, or said anything about his being a man from another time.

“A secret project,” said Yamamoto, “and one I knew nothing about? I suppose it would not be the first time information has been withheld from me. Yet someone had to issue orders, secure resources, for a ship of this size to be built. Frankly, that it could even exist without my knowledge is most troubling. Is there a shipyard hidden away somewhere that has been kept secret all these years? Who was behind the development of these weapons, the Army? Is that why they were withheld from Navy circles?”

Again, which question to answer? The Captain thought carefully. He was edging into waters here that he had once thought would not carry them where they wanted to go. He was making it seem as though they were men of this era, and his ship was a secret prototype—a lie that was like a beautiful woman’s body. It might hide for a time behind the satin folds of her kimono, but one day a determined man would lay her bare.

Fukada had suggested that only the real truth would give them the power they needed to really have some pull in this world. He had also argued the very same thing that was worrying Harada about his initial and carefully worded responses here—that the truth would eventually come out, and deception would only sow seeds of ill will and resentment. Yet Harada felt that beginnings were very delicate matters, and that if he could wade in slowly, reveal things over time, it might be a better course.

“The Army knows nothing of this either sir,” the Captain said at last. “No, this was not a development having anything to do with inter-service rivalry. Takami was commissioned into the Japanese Navy, but at a time and place unknown to you. The officers and crew aboard were all specially selected and trained.” Again, this was all true.

Yamamoto thought for a moment. This very ship, the Yamato, had been built under the highest level of secrecy. The shipyards and slipways were well screened from outside eyes; the workforce isolated and forced to live within a carefully watched construction zone. In spite of that, Yamamoto could not believe the ships were unknown to their enemies, even when they were under construction. It was simply impossible to hide a ship of such size and imposing power. And yet this Takami was something else entirely, a wolf in sheep’s clothing. It had but one small deck gun, and a launch deck for that interesting aircraft, also a nice little secret that astounded him when he saw the craft up close. Yet otherwise, that ship looked quite harmless, almost like a fleet tender or auxiliary. Something like that could have been easily built in secrecy, right under the noses of navy brass, who would scarcely give it a second thought.

“Then these weapons are prototypes? Is that why you were sent here to make this demonstration?”

“Sir, the weapons are well beyond prototypes. They are fully functional, and not merely test models.”

Yamamoto raised an eyebrow at that. He had been appointed head of technical development in Naval Aeronautics late in 1935, and the thought that a project such as this should have escaped his notice was most disturbing. He had always been a strong proponent of air power, and even openly voiced opposition to the building of ships like Yamato, even before the efficacy and effectiveness of Naval air power had been proven. He had been behind the development of Japan’s cutting edge Naval Aviation arm, and also planes like the Type 96 land based long range bomber, seeing in that range a powerful means of striking their principle enemy, the American Navy. Now, this very hour, he had witnessed the unveiling of a weapon that could render that air power absolutely useless.

“Why am I being informed now?”

“Because we believed that the existence of Takami would inevitably become known to you, in spite of every effort to maintain secrecy. You were the one man in the fleet we believed in, and one we thought would well consider what we will now propose.”

“When you say ‘we,’ who do you refer to?” asked Ugaki, still suspicious. “Some group within the government?”

Both Yamamoto and Ugaki knew there were many such factions within the government and in both services as well. There were those that favored one strategy or political alignment over another, and they often worked at cross purposes, battling each other for ascendancy.

“It would be wise for me to say that this comes from an authority that would best remain undisclosed.”

“What? More obfuscation?” Ugaki did not look happy with that.

“Respectfully, this course is best for the moment. Yet you have not heard our proposal.”

“Very well,” said Yamamoto. “I remain very uncomfortable with splinter groups operating in secrecy outside the normal channels of government. It was that sort of mentality that led to the unfortunate incident of February 26th. That said, I will at least hear what you have to say, as it is clear that this little incident has been very carefully arranged.”

“Sir,” Harada began, “the weapon we just demonstrated is very powerful. In sufficient numbers, it can be decisive. That ship, Takami, is at this moment capable of standing off and receiving an attack by three enemy carriers, alone, and completely defeating it, shooting down any plane that comes within range of our missiles. Beyond that, we have other weapons that can also be used against those same carriers, striking them at ranges well over the horizon, and either sinking them, or destroying their capacity to function as a viable ship in further combat.”

As he listened to this, Yamamoto recalled the meeting in Tokyo he had with Admiral Nagumo, when he reported on the incident in the North Pacific that had resulted in the loss of Hiryu. He could hear his own voice as he briefed Nagumo… “I trust you have also read the intelligence reports. We believe this is the same ship that has confounded the Germans in the Atlantic—the one that also sank their aircraft carrier. It has a rocket weapon of great range and accuracy.”

“I have seen it with my own eyes,” said Nagumo, “but I would not have believed it possible had that not been the case. Reading reports and listening to rumors is one thing, watching that weapon strike our ships quite another. I can understand why the lower ranks now whisper of Raiju and Mizuchi. The weapon is deadly, and terribly accurate. It must be piloted to strike us with such unfailing accuracy, and its speed was beyond belief. The gunners could not even take aim before it danced away, with maneuvers that would be impossible for any plane we have. Akagi was lucky that none of her planes were armed and fueled when the first attack came in. Hiryu was not so fortunate.”

And now I have also seen such a weapon with my own eyes, thought Yamamoto. We have suspected the Soviets had such weapons, and gave them to the Siberians, yet we never fully appreciated the danger. Hiryu, Mutsu and Chikuma were the result, and so this is an error I cannot make again.

“Go on,” he said, waiting quietly.

“Admiral sir, we have other capabilities that can prove decisive in any engagement, even if we were never to fire a single rocket. Lieutenant Commander Fukada spoke earlier of our new advanced radar. The range and accuracy of those systems are beyond anything you might expect, or even believe, but I can show you how this works at sea. We can stand off and use that aircraft, which we call a helicopter, to easily detect another enemy fleet. Beyond that, the equipment we have to listen for enemy submarines is so sensitive that it could hear that enemy fleet hundreds of miles away. We call this situational awareness. One cannot strike an enemy he does not know is there, but with our ship, no Japanese fleet could be approached or attacked without our knowledge of the enemy’s presence. And sir, what can be seen first at sea, can be attacked and destroyed first. This is a tenet of warfare that you will certainly appreciate.”

“I see… Then what is it you propose?”

“First off, I would like to invite you, and also Admiral Ugaki here, to come aboard Takami, and see the equipment I am speaking of first hand—all of it, the advanced radars, undersea listening systems, and the naval rockets. I would like to go to sea with you, and if necessary, demonstrate that everything I am saying here is true, and nothing has been exaggerated. Then, after you have had time to fully appreciate what this ship is, and what it can do, I would like to discuss how it might be used to bring this war to a speedy conclusion. For I believe that your own assessment of the situation, while it may seem very optimistic now, will soon bow to the reality that Japan is now facing a most dangerous and determined enemy. Without Takami, and the secrets beneath its deck, this war will likely look quite different a year from now. In the interest of our nation—its very survival as you now know it—I beg you to consider this proposal, which I will clarify further after you have both inspected my ship.”

Yamato smiled. He could sense a real determination in this man, and his confederate. A moment ago he was threatening their execution as spies, and now here they sit inviting me to tea on this unexpected addition to our fleet, and making proposals to end the war! My, how they wake from death and return to life.

On the one hand, I detested these hidden factions and their conniving political maneuvers… unless… Yes, unless they advocate a point of view that I myself believe beneficial to the nation. These men certainly present themselves as patriots. They do not seem at all like the cloak and dagger types, in spite of the evasive way in which they answered some of our questions. There is more to this situation than meets the eye here—much more. There is a shipload of answers sitting out there in the bay, and so, if proper security can be arranged, I am inclined to agree to this proposal. Ugaki will worry about the security, but they walked boldly into my tiger’s den here, and so I can do the same.

“Very well,” he said firmly. “I accept your invitation, Captain Harada.”

“But sir,” said Ugaki, as Yamamoto expected he would. “Meaning no offense to these officers here, but if you are to board that ship, then a strong contingent of Naval Marines must accompany you. While these men seem accommodating, I do not have to remind you that they appear here under very unusual circumstances, and there has been more than one threat to your life.”

“Of course,” said Yamamoto. “Does the Captain have any objection to this?”

“Only one sir… The matter of secrecy. The fewer eyes, the fewer mouths to speak of what they have seen. You are both men of character and indisputable judgment. Your discretion in this matter could never be doubted. Yet a contingent of Naval Marines?”

“Yes, like those that accompanied you to Yamato,” said Ugaki, his tone hardening again.

“Gentlemen,” said Yamamoto. “I have long ago ceased to concern myself with my personal fate in regards to these foolish death threats. Karma is karma, and life is very short. But to satisfy the concerns of Admiral Ugaki, the forward turret of this battleship will be loaded and trained on your ship. I will board with Admiral Ugaki, however, should I fail to return within an allotted period of time….”

“I understand,” said Captain Harada. “Sir, as these are most unusual circumstances, as Admiral Ugaki correctly points out, I accept. Damage to our ship would be a tragedy, given its power to influence events here. Yet it will not be your guns that will keep you secure, but my word. I will personally guarantee the safety and security of your lives, swearing now on my honor and that of all my ancestors.”

“Then let us hope they rest peacefully,” said Ugaki.

The bargain was struck. Captain Harada could hardly believe they had been able to pull it off, but curiosity is one of the most powerful lures in history, and he knew that both these Admirals were now very eager to get answers to the unanswered questions in their minds. Yet when they do get them, he thought, will the shock be too much for them to believe? Right now we are no more than an unknown entity, a secret project with a very interesting bag of tricks. But what happens when these men see the touch screen radar and control sets on the bridge? When they see the video of themselves on that weather deck as captured by our helo operator, what then? A missile was one thing; our technology is quite another. HD video alone would be astounding to any man of this era.

One thing at a time. Now we move to phase two of our little plan. The crew will all be waiting in dress whites, and we’ll make a fine show of this visit. Then, after the magic, it’s the formal dinner in the officer’s mess, and the one conversation that might end this war before it goes any further.

It was as good a plan as they could have conceived, one that allowed them fidelity to their own nation and people, while also trying to mend fences and bring about peace with nations that would become firm allies in the decades ahead. But they would not be the only ones to make revelations during this visit, and things they would hear were going to set their course into dangerous waters, sooner than anyone thought.

Chapter 8

When Yamamoto saw the interior of DDG-180, he was dumbstruck. He had been piped aboard with all due ceremony, saluting the lines of officers and crewmen in starched white uniforms. With a good memory for faces, he found himself looking over the lines, thinking he would see men there he might have known, but they were as fresh and new as the ship itself. They were ushered inside a nearby hatch, and made their way down the corridors and up ladders to the heart of the main conning section. Yet it was not men with binoculars on high towers that kept the watch here, but the unseen eyes of high speed solid state digital electronics.

Takami was unlike any ship he had ever set foot on. The Combat Information Center was astonishing. There, in the velvety blue semi-darkness, officers sat in a long row before an array of lighted panels displaying colorful maps, with phosphorescent green radar fans tracking contacts all through the region. The Admiral clearly recognized the outline of the bay where they were anchored, realizing that these must be the advanced radars. Captain Harada even pointed out a contact on one screen, saying that was the battleship Yamato.

The Admiral stared in awe, watching the things the men were doing with what looked to be flat typewriters sitting before them. Yet he could not take his eyes from the colorful screens, seeing the men simply touch them with a fingertip to change the information being displayed. He had absolutely no reference point for them, and could not even begin to imagine what they were, and how they worked. His eyes strayed to Admiral Ugaki, seeing the perplexed look on the man’s face. They were seeing things that they simply could not understand, and the longer they were there, the disquiet that fell on them deepened.

Captain Harada perceived their mood, and gestured to a table and chairs that had been cleared for just this visit. “Admiral,” he said. “This is the room that receives signals sent from our radar equipment. It is displayed on these screens, analyzed, and tracked. If this ship were in combat, each and every enemy aircraft or ship would be shown on these screens, and to strike one, my officers need to simply touch the contact with a fingertip, or use another pointing device. That command would then launch a missile like the one we demonstrated, and it will unerringly find, track, and kill the designated target. This ship is capable of tracking and engaging, scores of contacts at any given time. In effect, we could easily destroy the entire air wing of an aircraft carrier, and well before the pilots of those planes could ever come into visual contact with us.”

Yamamoto sat in silence for a moment, then turned and simply asked one question. “Captain, where was this ship built?”

Harada looked at Fukada, who sat dutifully at his side, realizing this was a first moment of truth. “At the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Naval Plant, Nagasaki.”

“Nagasaki shipyard? I know that facility well. Musashi was built there, but this ship… all these flashing lights, those strange displays you speak of—they could never have been built at that plant.”

“No sir,” said Harada, looking the Admiral directly in the eye. “Not today. Not in the 1940s. The equipment and technology that you see here all around you is something that no industry in Japan could design or build today. The rockets we possess, with their advance capabilities, are also beyond the understanding of your engineers.”

“But the Russians have these things,” said Yamamoto. “They have given them to the Siberians, or so we have come to believe. They have even used these naval rockets against us in battle, which is why I gave you such wide latitude here when I saw that rocket fired from your ship. The men who died on the carrier Hiryu also bore witness to the power of these new weapons, as did Admiral Nagumo when the Kido Butai was attacked on its return leg from Pearl Harbor. We know the Russians have an advanced ship with these weapons, because it has bedeviled the Germans and Italians for months in the west. Now it is here, and then you come on the scene, in a ship no one has ever heard of. Was this advanced equipment, this ship, all obtained from the Russians?”

“No sir, the ship was engineered and built in Japan, as I have said. But if I may ask… You say a Russian ship attacked the Kido Butai?”

“That information is classified,” said Ugaki, casting a furtive glance at Yamamoto.

“Under the circumstances,” said the Admiral, “I believe we can safely divulge this to the Captain. Yes, our carriers, and aircraft, were hunted by these naval rockets, just as you described a moment ago. Hiryu was lost, and both Kaga and Akagi damaged before Nagumo was able to break off and evade further contact—though he reports we never saw the ship that fired these weapons.”

Harada looked at his First Officer, both men finding this story hard to swallow. Yet here they were, about to feed Yamamoto a lump of concrete truth that would sit in his gut from this moment on. Everything was topsy-turvy in this world now. Krakatoa had apparently erupted here just days ago, when that had clearly not happened in 1942. And now here was the Commanding Officer of the Combined Fleet telling him that a Russian ship had sunk the carrier Hiryu.

“Our carriers were struck by rockets?”

“Correct,” said Yamamoto. “So it is clear that our enemies have these weapons as well. To find we now have them is a great relief, yet I for one cannot imagine how this ship could ever have been built in the shipyards of Nagasaki, or anywhere else in Japan.”

“You say it was built there,” said Admiral Ugaki, “and then in the next breath you contradict yourself and tell us this technology is beyond our capability to engineer. Which is it? Why do I have the unsettling feeling that you are hiding the real truth concerning this ship? Yes, every man aboard here is clearly Japanese, but it has occurred to me that this ship could have also been built by the Russians, and that you and your entire crew could be infiltrators, intending only to come boldly into the tiger’s den like this, and with a motive or mission we have yet to discover.”

“Sir,” said Harada, “I do not think the Russians of this day would possess anything remotely like the technology and weapons we have shown you. Yes, the Russians are beginning to develop missile technology, but it could in no way compare with ours.”

“I beg to differ,” said Yamamoto. “Admiral Nagumo claimed that our planes were struck by rockets, just as you demonstrated. And only a few days ago, there was another engagement off Kamchatka in the Sea of Okhotsk. There we had two ships also struck by these naval rockets, and both so badly damaged that they will not be useful again for years, if ever.”

Again Harada looked quickly at Fukada, and the two men were now concerned. They knew that no Russian ship of this era would possess that kind of missile technology. Then Harada thought about that damn volcano, the impossible fact of his very own presence here, speaking with Isoroku Yamamoto. Earlier he had wondered about the disappearance of the Russian battlecruiser when the Demon Volcano erupted. They had all thought the Russians were lost at sea in that event, but now the possibility that they might have experienced the same fate as Takami bloomed darkly in the Captain’s mind. The Russians…. A ship with advanced missiles shooting down planes and sinking Japanese ships…. He needed more information.

“What makes you think it was a Russian ship that attacked your carriers?”

“Because we were forewarned,” said Yamamoto. “The Siberians made impossible demands of us, and when they were ignored, Siberia declared war the moment we struck the Americans at Pearl Harbor. This Vladimir Karpov is quite headstrong, quite brash, but he has apparently made good on his threats with the unexpected attack on our garrisons in Kazantochi.”

“Where did you say you were attacked?”

“Kazantochi. The Siberians once called it Kamchatka, and apparently that will be its name again now, until we take it back, as we certainly will. This is also highly classified, and no one in the homeland knows a word of it, but we have lost that entire peninsula to the Siberians, and nearly lost Mutsu and Chikuma trying to stop their surprise invasion. That was my fault. We should have heeded the warnings and been more vigilant. Soon we will move with much stronger forces and settle the matter. If the Siberians do have a ship in the north, then they most likely got it from the Russians. Their use of naval rockets in the Atlantic has now been well documented.”

That was all a lot to take in, and Yamamoto ended up stealing their thunder for a while as they considered it. At this point, neither Harada nor Fukada had any knowledge of how badly fractured the history was by 1942. They had no idea that the Soviet Union was divided, no knowledge of the Orenburg Federation, no idea that Japan had been sitting on Siberian soil for decades, and now controlled Vladivostok. Yet one thing Yamamoto had said struck Harada, and he asked about it.

“That Russian you mentioned a moment ago—what was his name again?”

“Vladimir Karpov, and he is Siberian, the head of the Free Siberian State in fact.”

Harada looked at Fukada, a question evident on his face. “Pinch me again,” he said under his breath, “but wasn’t that the name of the Russian Captain who tangled with the American 7th Fleet?”

“Yes sir—Karpov. I can show you the SITREP we received on that engagement before the Russian flotilla went missing.”

“Very interesting….” Harada needed to think, needed time to digest this, but he could see that Ugaki was watching them closely, a look of suspicion and impatience on his face. At that moment, a junior officer came up, saluting, and leaned in to say something to the Captain.

“How far out?” said Harada.

“Sir, we have them inbound at 180 kilometers, and about 35 minutes out at their present speed.”

“Very well, come to air alert one, and sound action stations.”

Out of the blue, he thought. This whole insane scenario is exactly that. Now what in God’s name is out there?

“Admiral, would there be any friendly aircraft inbound to Davao at the present time? I have just been informed of an airborne contact approaching from the south.”

“From the South?” Yamamoto looked at his Chief of Staff.

“We have a squadron at Ambon,” said Ugaki, “but it has only just arrived and has been awaiting delivery of aviation fuel.”

The alarm sounded and new screens lit up all around them, with the radar plot and contacts clearly indicated on the map. Fukada pointed to one screen close enough for the Admirals to see, and noted the projected course line indicating the heading of the inbound contacts.

“They must be American bombers flying from Darwin,” said Ugaki. “They struck here last week as well, which is why I advised against this meeting here. If Imamura wanted to speak with you, he should have come to Rabaul. Perhaps the Americans learned of our presence here—of Yamato’s arrival, which may have been reported by enemy coast watchers still operating from these islands. This was risky, and now we see the cost.”

“Everything we do in this war will entail risk,” said Yamamoto quietly. “But if this Captain makes good on his boast, we should be in no danger. Yes?” He looked at Captain Harada, who realized that the challenge had been thrown to him now, and with each minute those contacts were drawing ever nearer.

“Sir, please excuse me and First Officer Fukada for a moment while we attempt to confirm this contact information.” He waved Fukada to his side and the two men stood off, conversing quietly.

“Unexpected visitors,” said Fukada. “Looks like we’ll have to get serious in taking a side here sooner than we thought. If those are American bombers, then you can’t let them get through.”

“Yes, but we haven’t confirmed that. What if they are Japanese planes?”

“You’ve already heard Ugaki on that, and if they are American bombers, they would probably be B-17s. I did some reading and found they had a squadron based at Del Monte Airfield here on Mindanao with B-17s. They evacuated to Batchelor Field near Darwin, and began bombing Japanese shipping near Davao, sometimes even landing there at Del Monte until we finally took that field.”

Harada had a pained expression on his face, and Fukada gave him a long look. “What’s the matter?”

“We’re about to cross a real bridge here if we engage.”

“What else can you do Captain? If you let those planes come in, and we just sit here and do nothing, then we’ll look weak, and everything we’ve said to these men will go out the window. It’s a matter of face. Beyond that, if one of those planes gets lucky….”

Harada nodded, taking a long breath. “Very well,” he said. The decision was his, and that was why the Captain’s stripes were on his uniform. This was what he got paid for, but the thought that he was now going to use American made radars and missiles to shoot down American bombers was still unsettling. He realized that if he engaged, the course they were on would pull them inexorably into this war as an active combatant on the side of Japan. There were still so many unanswered questions here….

“Karpov,” he said quickly, on eye on the contact radar track. “Could that be the Russian Captain?”

“It might be a coincidence,” said Fukada. “But what was all that about the Free Siberian State? That’s the same stuff Ensign Shiota has been hearing on the radio broadcast intercepts. She even monitored news out of Japan, and the Admiral was correct in what he said. As far as the homeland is concerned, they’re getting a much different story than the one we just heard, but there has been news about open hostilities between Siberia and Japan. I couldn’t make any sense of it, but then again, nothing that has happened in the last week has made any sense.”

“Hiryu sunk….” Harada’s eyes darkened. “And by naval rocket attack. We know damn well the Russians of this era would have nothing in 1942 that could do that. Did you catch what Yamamoto said? He claimed there was a Russian ship in the Atlantic too, with confirmed use of rocket tech. What is this all about?”

“I haven’t any idea,” said Fukada.

“What if it’s that damn Russian battlecruiser?”

“You mean Kirov?”

“Yes, the same ship commanded by this Captain Karpov. I heard he was running his mouth for a good long while before they came to blows with the Americans. The word was that he and the American Captain Tanner had a little chat before the missiles went hot. Then that volcano erupts, and the Russians just flat out disappear. I got hold of some intel on that after it happened. The Americans slipped in a sub to look for the Russian flotilla, but there wasn’t a sign. They just flat out vanished, no wreckage of any kind, and nothing on the seabed. Frankly, nobody on the American side believed they were sunk, and so they started snooping up north for them in the Sea of Okhotsk. The Russians had a deep sea submersible operating up there. Some hotshot picked it up on a satellite.”

“Well did they ever find the Russian flotilla?”

“No. There was not a sign or whisper of them after that eruption. Now look at us here, about to take dinner and tea with Admiral Yamamoto…”

“Alright,” said Fukada. “Suppose the same thing did happen to the Russians. Let’s suppose that’s Kirov up north beating up on our fleet. If they showed up here, who knows when, they certainly decided who’s side they were going to be on easily enough. They were our enemy in 2021, and it looks like that holds true here as well. If that’s the case, then what are we going to do about it? You still want to sail off to Argentina and try to play this out being a neutral? Yamamoto just said they were getting ready to send a much stronger force up north. If that is Kirov, you know damn well what will happen next. You were just bragging about our capabilities to the Admirals. Well, we both know that Russian battlecruiser is one tough ship. This is going to get ugly, and hell, for that matter, those contacts will be on us inside thirty minutes.”

Harada nodded gravely. “They’ve seen the dazzle here in the CIC. I was about to explain the rest when this business concerning the Russians came up and threw me off my stride. Yet I don’t see any way around it now.”

While the Captain was away, Ugaki took the time to voice his own concerns with Yamamoto. “Who are these men?” he said emphatically. “They are certainly not in the naval intelligence network. They seemed to know nothing of what has transpired these last weeks. Then they appear here out of nowhere. Well, who sent them? Why do they insist on this meeting, and what is the real motive behind all this glitter they have shown us?”

“This is all very strange,” said Yamamoto, “particularly this command center. Have you ever seen anything remotely like this equipment?”

“Never, but it could all be theater. Yes, we saw them shoot down that target plane, but I find their other claims hard to believe. How could they have all these advanced radars and weapons without the navy knowing it? And that assertion that this ship was built in the shipyards of Nagasaki is certainly a lie. You and I both know that much.”

“A real mystery here,” said Yamamoto. “And I have the persistent feeling that they are holding something back. We have not yet heard their whole story.”

“But we have certainly heard them boast. If that radar is real, and there are airborne contacts headed this way, then they are undoubtedly American bombers. How convenient that this should happen now, while we are both here on this ship, away from Yamato. Admiral—this could be a trap!”

Chapter 9

Captain Harada could feel the tension in the room when he returned with Fukada. Ugaki was looking at him with dark eyed suspicion again, and he did not fail to notice the man’s hand had strayed to the hilt of the samurai sword at his waist. It was clear he still remained unconvinced, but here was a moment of truth, a well-timed crisis that was bringing everything to the edge of a very precipitous cliff. He knew he could not hesitate here, not show weakness, and that in coming to Davao, requesting this audience, he had cast the fate of his ship and crew to the winds of this war.

And there could no longer be a question as to which side they were on. Lieutenant Otani’s warnings about the monsters inside many of these men were well taken, but they had come to this man, Yamamoto, knowing the caliber of his character. Were they foolish to think his power and prestige alone could set the war onto a new course that might avoid the years of bitter fighting, and the millions of deaths yet to come?

One thing was certain—if he could not impress Yamamoto that Takami was a war winner, then this whole mission was fruitless, and they would have done better to beach the ship and burn it, as he had mused earlier when this question first came up. He could sense the urgency in Fukada, and knew his First Officer had already made his own choice, and now he was urging him to do the same. The pressure was mounting, and he also couldn’t forget that Yamato was out there, with a forward turret trained their way, effectively holding the entire ship quite literally at gunpoint to serve Admiral Ugaki’s suspicions. Yet once I engage here….

Another long minute passed, and then he nodded to Fukada, moving back towards the Admirals where they were closely watching him, their attention sometimes pulled to the dazzling screens and displays of instrument panels lit up by rows of lights.

“Gentlemen,” he said, a hollow feeling in his heart that he tried to mask. “If Admiral Ugaki is correct, and these are American bombers, then Takami will now defend the fleet.”

“Mister Honjo!”

“Sir!”

“Designate inbound track as hostile and stand up the SM-2s. I will be on the bridge.”

“Aye sir, designating contact as Tango 1 and hostile. Standing up Standard Missile 2 system on forward cells.”

Now Harada looked at the two Admirals. “We are locking our targeting radars on those inbound contacts. We could conduct this engagement here, but I think you would have a much better view of things on the main bridge. First Officer Fukada will lead the way. I will be with you shortly.”

Yamamoto stood, and the Admirals followed Fukada to the nearby hatch, with Ugaki taking a last look over his shoulder, finding the Captain as he stooped over one of the stations, his finger pointing at the strange colored display.

Harada had passed a moment with his CIC crew, and with Hedeo Honjo. “I won’t hide the fact from you all that we think those are most likely American B-17s inbound out there, so this is a difficult situation here. We came here to try and convince these men we could matter enough in this war to set it onto another course, but here it is. We’re still trying to make up our minds on all of this, but the war has found us, and it’s twenty minutes out and heading our way. If I let those planes come in and they bomb this harbor….”

No one said anything.

“Well, we can’t allow that just now. They’ll have to be stopped, and I don’t think a polite radio chat would do the trick. I know I’m asking you all to make a choice here, and if any man feels this is the wrong decision, you may stand down and nothing will be said about it. It will be treated as a matter of conscience and there will be no negative consequences. You all know who that was sitting there a moment ago, but beyond that, this can also be considered a matter of self-defense. Now… I’m going to let this contact get fairly close so the Admirals can see what happens when we fire. Those planes will be lucky to hit the broad side of a barn here, but if they do, a 300 pound bomb would not make us feel very good.”

That brought a few smiles, a small measure of humor relieving the tension. “So we’ll take them just outside 30 klicks. Very well… Carry on, and Lieutenant Honjo will handle any crew replacement necessary for this engagement. I will be on the bridge.”

* * *

Known as the “Shield of the Fleet,” the AN/SPY-1D radar resembled an elongated octagonal panel, 12 feet wide, and flush to the conning section of the ship. It was a ‘Phased Array’ system that had panels on every side of the ship for a constant 360 degree surveillance of the air and sea around the ship. It was keyed in to the VLS missile launchers, so if Lieutenant Honjo had an order, he could have a missile in the air ten seconds after first contact. It could perform detection, tracking, target illumination for over 100 active contacts, and could also be used in the terminal phase of missile approach for target guidance. That help would not be needed that day.

The SM-2 missiles being fired were not out after a stealthy 4th or 5th generation strike aircraft, or a sleek sea-skimming missile. The targets were going to be lumbering B-17s, completely unaware of what was about to happen to them. With his conscience heavy, Captain Harada decided to fire a two missile salvo first, and then see what the reaction was on the target side. Yet even as he sent the order to the CIC to fire, he knew he was likely killing fifteen or twenty men.

Strangely, the same quick equation ran through his mind that had plagued both Volsky and Fedorov. Who were those men out there? They were here, sailing in the waters of their ancestors, but those men were also someone’s grandfather, or even great grandfather. Did any of them end up surviving this war? Who dies with them when they go down in a flaming wreck this hour? How many men or women that might have been alive in his time would never be born, and how far forward did that go in time? He realized that he was striking down multiple generations now, unseen faces, each with a long life line and personal history that could now be obliterated.

The order was given; the shrill alarm sounded. The hatch opened on the forward deck and the hot yellow flame erupted, directed upwards as the missiles appeared in a wash of fire and white smoke. Up they went, out after the men and planes of the 19th Bombardment Group that morning, one of the oldest outfits in the US Air Force.

Yet First Officer Fukada had not spent enough time in the ship’s library that day, and the five planes approaching Davao had a dual mission. They weren’t coming to bomb, but to simply photograph it. Two would make a moonlit recon run, and the other three would divert north to Del Monte, still in Allied hands as it was 200 kilometers away, on the north coast of the island. The Japanese eventually took that field, but they did not have it yet in this history, and those three planes were out to make a very special rendezvous.

* * *

1st Lieutenant Frank P. Bostrom was one of the men out there that day, and yes, he would have a son if he survived this mission. Someone very important had been belly-aching and throwing his weight around, and a directive went out that the best planes available to the US Army Air Force, and its most competent pilots, were to be mustered for a special mission. Unfortunately, the battered old B-17s of the 19th Bombardment Group were barely flying, but three newer planes had just been transferred in, and Bostrom had one of them.

A man of 34 years, the 1st Lieutenant had jet black hair, but with a flash of premature grey at the temples that made him look just a little older when he was wearing his hat, and his darker hair could not be seen. He was a bit on edge that day, and for three good reasons. The first was the coffee, nearly eight full cups he had slogged down in preparation for this flight. It was going to be a long run out to Mindanao, some 1500 miles, and he needed to be fresh and alert at all times, particularly since it would be a night landing on an old, muddy field, lit by little more than a few flares.

The second reason was the fact that his flight path was going to see the bombers thread a thirty mile wide needle between two Japanese air bases in the Celebes. Though the war was young, the B-17 pilots had come to fear and respect the Japanese Zeroes, and he hoped that by taking most of the approach leg in darkness, they might avoid being intercepted.

The third reason was the mission itself, because the man who had been rattling everyone’s cages for his aircraft and pilots was the self-styled lord high master of the Pacific, one General Douglas MacArthur. Leaving the Philippines just a bit earlier than he did in Fedorov’s history, the General and his family and staff had arrived on the north coast of the island after a long and very wet journey on PT boats, and was waiting at Del Monte Airfield for a ride to Darwin. Word was that he saw a single old plane there when he arrived, pronounced it as totally inadequate, and then bent ears all the way to Washington D.C. to wrangle the planes that were now in the air. He wanted Army planes, not Navy, and he wanted the best pilots available.

I guess that’s me, thought Bostrom, inwardly pleased to have been counted in the handful of men who would be sent out that day. Five B-17s were found, two for the recon mission, and three more that would divert to Del Monte to pick up his Highness, the General.

“I hope Caruthers has his stuff wired tight tonight,” said Bostrom to his co-pilot, Captain Edward C. Teats. As he was coming up through the ranks, his mates called him “Eddie Tits,” but now that he had made Captain, he was Edward again, or just plain Captain.

“Caruthers has been over his charts three times,” said the Captain. “He’ll get us there, so don’t worry. Beaton and Horn won’t have much to do, cause this mission is completely dark. So I had them get with Wheatley to learn a few things, just in case.”

Beaton and Horn were the Radio Operators on the plane, and the mission was ordered to fly in complete radio silence. Wheatley was a Gunner, so the two Radio Operators were ordered to bone up on the .50 Cals, as enemy fighters could always be on the prowl. But it wasn’t Japanese fighters they would need to worry about that night, it was American made missiles, fired from a Japanese ship, and nothing Wheatley taught the other two men about those guns was going to matter. Life or death for Bostrom and his crew would come down to only one thing, how many missiles Takami fired.

The electronic eyes of that SPY-1D radar had spotted the incoming flight of planes over 200 klicks out, about two hours from Del Monte at a few minutes before 22:00 hours. Now the crew of Takami were standing at their battle stations, and their missiles were already primed to change the history of these events in a way none of them ever expected.

The sun set about two hours earlier at this latitude, but the skies were now lit by a fat gibbous moon. They had timed everything so the bombers would make their approach to Mindanao in darkness, and make landfall over Davao just after that moon was up. In a few minutes, Bostrom would take three planes and make a turn due north, to stay over the ocean for another hour and then come west again to Del Monte. That’s when those first two missiles went up, their white tails catching the pearly moonlight as they went.

Bostrom turned, with nothing more than a quiet lantern signal flash to the other two planes in his flight, and the formation fanned out, separating into two groups as though they were flying evasive maneuvers. The other two planes would carry on, bearing right down on Davao, and running right into those first two missiles. As with Kirov, the result of the attack was mathematical. The missiles fired, two B-17s were hit, erupting in fire and smoke to make a violent descent into the sea. They went down about 30 kilometers south of the anchorage, and everyone on the bridge could see the fiery glow in the dark skies when they fell.

“Two kills, but CIC reports the contact group has split, and there are still three planes veering off on a new heading.”

“Show me,” said Harada, well aware that both Yamamoto and Ugaki were watching all this now, amazed at what they were seeing. After casting odd looks at Lieutenant Ryoko Otani where she sat at the bridge sensor watch, their attention had been transfixed by the missile launch. There, in the dark of night, this ship had seen, tracked, targeted and killed two American bombers, and they had seen them fall like stricken demons with their own eyes.

“These last three appear to be diverting north,” said Otani. “They are either making a turn for home as well, or perhaps headed somewhere else.”

“Then they are no longer inbound on our position?”

“No sir.”

“Then leave them be. Our missiles are for clear and present threats. Let’s keep watching to confirm the new contact headings.”

Now the Captain turned to Yamamoto. “Admiral, he said. “It appears that those first two missiles have effectively broken up this attack. Frankly, I don’t think they would have hit anything trying to bomb this anchorage at night like this, but now we have made certain of that.”

“Sir,” said Fukada, “what about those last three planes?”

“Not a threat,” said Harada quickly.

“Not a threat to us, but suppose they have other targets, other missions? We should take them down as well.”

The Captain did not like what his first officer had just done, and he made a mental note to let him know it later, when the Admirals had departed. For now, he just looked Fukada in the eye and reiterated his order.

“Continue to track the contacts, confirm headings, and if there is no threat vector on this anchorage, then stand the CIC down. We have a dinner reservation to keep with our visitors.”

So it was that 1st Lieutenant Bostrom, flying B-17 number 41-2477, the San Antonio Rose II, was going to make his appointment at Del Monte, and take aboard a weary General MacArthur that night, telling him a story that would certainly sound quite fantastic about B-17s being struck by white tailed lightning from below. They had just made their turn to divert when they saw something coming up at them. Seconds later they saw and heard the explosions that took down the two recon bombers, and they were the first Americans to endure that first moment of shock, and yet live to tell about it. Pilots Bostrom and Teats, Navigator Caruthers, the two Radio Operators Beaton and Horn, Gunner Wheatley and Engineers Haddow and Palmer were all going to live that hour as well.

But when Lieutenant Commander Fukada consulted the ship’s library after dinner, their lives would again be on the chopping blocks of Time.

Part IV

Fool’s Paradise

“Fools rush in where Angels fear to tread.”

― Alexander Pope, An Essay on Criticism, 1709

Chapter 10

The first minutes passed politely, with the officers sitting down at the table and the orderly serving water and tea. But Admiral Yamamoto made good on his promise and immediately returned to the question Ugaki had pressed on him.

“Captain, that was again a most impressive demonstration, most impressive. With such rocket weaponry at your disposal, I can see why this ship has only one small deck gun, no bigger than many we put on our destroyers.”

“Yes sir, but that deck gun can range out over 50 kilometers.”

“50,000 meters? How is that possible for such a small gun. It cannot be more than a 5-inch barrel, and our best secondary batteries on Yamato can only range 27,000 meters.”

“If you wish a demonstration of that deck gun’s range, I would be happy to arrange it.”

“50 kilometers would be well over any horizon,” said Ugaki. “How would you even see the target?”

“With our helicopters. They could send information back to our deck gun and I assure you, we would hit any target we fire at, even at that range. Beyond that, we have a weapon that can fire four times as far, a new type of naval gun that can send a fast projectile out 200 kilometers.”

It was clear that Ugaki would never believe that, as he shrugged somewhat disdainfully at the statement. “Now you begin to sound like a fool,” he said. “And I have no patience for fools, be advised.”

Yamamoto gave him a sidelong glance, knowing his mood, but still quietly demanding civility here. Ugaki had seen the look many times before, and he folded his arms, unhappy with this entire situation, but tolerating it as best he could.

“This is a most unusual ship,” said Yamamoto, “but you will never convince me it was made in the shipyards of Nagasaki. The equipment I have seen here is beyond our capabilities. You said as much yourself. If we could build such a gun, it would surely be on Yamato, a ship that received the very best weapons and armor we could give it. So then the question remains—where was this ship built? You have denied it came from the Russians, but I remain unconvinced. There is something more to all of this that you have not told us.”

“Sir, I have told you the truth all along. This ship was built in Japan, by Japanese engineers, and right there at Nagasaki as I stated. On the other hand, I have also told you that the equipment you saw below was beyond anything present day engineers in Japan could design. As Admiral Ugaki kindly points out, this is a contradiction, so now I will clear the matter up. I have told you where our ship was built, but I did not say when it was built. Therein lies the answer, though it will likely be as difficult for you to accept it as it was for us to grasp the reality of where we now find ourselves. This ship was not built in this era, not in the 1940s. The plant that designed Takami at Nagasaki will not even exist until well after the war, decades in the future.” There, he had said it, and now he waited for Yamamoto’s reaction.

“Decades? What are you saying?”

“To be completely blunt about it, Takami was laid down in the year 2018, and commissioned into the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force in the year 2021.” He waited, saying nothing more.

Ugaki looked at Yamamoto, and when the latter simply laughed, Ugaki shook his head. “It seems you have already had your fill of that saké sitting there, and before you even offer it to your guests! More nonsense and evasion! So many words, yet nothing ever said. Such insubordination, and with the Admiral of the Combined Fleet sitting here before you!”

“Sir,” said Harada, “I know what I have said sounds like utter nonsense. We thought the very same thing just days ago when we transited the Sunda Strait. Takami was on a simple escort run from Singapore to Darwin. Then, all of a sudden, we found ourselves caught up in that terrible volcanic eruption. We sailed north, hoping to escape the ashfall, and that was when we came across General Imamura adrift at sea. It took us some time before we could believe he was the man he claimed to be—General Hitoshi Imamura, Commander of the Japanese 16th Army. You see, in our day, no such Army even exists, and we could see no reason why a Japanese Army officer would be where we found him. His uniform was archaic, even as you looked at our uniforms and insignia and knew something was amiss.”

“You persist in this?” Now Admiral Ugaki had a hand on the hilt of his sword yet again.

“Do not be so quick to draw that blade,” Harada pointed. “Hear me out. You can believe it, or laugh it away when I have finished, but at least have the courtesy to listen. No man or woman aboard this ship thought we would ever find ourselves in a situation like this. Yes, I said woman, just like Lieutenant Ryuko Otani there at sensor watch. Women have served in the Japanese Navy for years, and she is a fine officer. As for this ship, no nation on this earth could build it, or even begin to understand or manufacture any of the equipment you have seen us demonstrate here. I just killed men and planes out there, and at night, firing a weapon guided by radar alone and at a range exceeding 30,000 kilometers. That capability will not exist on this planet for decades, in spite of what you have told me about the Russian ship you believe is operating in the North.”

Now he lowered his voice, still working through his own thoughts in his mind, less certain, but no less determined to have his say. “Concerning that, there was another incident in our time, the year 2021, and just days before this happened to us in the Sunda Straits. A volcano in the Kuriles erupted violently, and at that time, a Russian battlecruiser was leading a small flotilla very near that location. Those ships vanished, and we believed they may have been sunk. Yet now, after what has happened to Takami, I wonder… yes…. Because the Captain of that ship was a man well known to many of us in the Navy. We often sortied in the Sea of Japan when the Russian Navy would joust with us out of Vladivostok. His name was Vladimir Karpov…”

Yamamoto sat there, astounded, listening out of politeness but unable to accept what this man was saying. And yet, this Captain was possessed with sincere urgency, with an almost desperate need to be believed. What Kami has taken this man’s soul, he thought? And the other one, the First Officer, he is thinking much more than he is speaking, yet between them there is a strained rope that tethers them together in this. They believe this story! As much as Ugaki was correct that this was insubordinate effrontery, here these men stand, and knowing Yamato has three 18-inch guns trained on this ship, yet this is what they tell me here. It is simply the most outrageous thing I have ever heard, but yet both these men believe it. I can see that on every line of their faces.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, as if to chase the weariness of the hour. On the other hand, look what this ship just did, he thought. I saw those planes fall with my own eyes. I saw officers below simply touching those panes of glass and lighting them up with maps and strange lines and symbols. Clearly this technology is equally outrageous in what it can accomplish. Is it real or theater as Ugaki suspects?

The death of those American planes was certainly reality. Could this preposterous story also be true? Could that be the real explanation for Nagumo’s shameful lapse in losing Hiryu. Our men call this ship up north Mizuchi, a monster from the spirit realm, and now here I sit, swallowed and in the belly of yet another Sea Dragon. These men now claim that they appeared here by accident. This ship was not some hidden project kept secret from the Navy. Assuming, for the briefest moment, that their claim is true, what is it they think to accomplish in coming to me this way? And now they have made yet another astounding statement, that this Vladimir Karpov is another Kami from some distant world, and not a man of our time.

“Vladimir Karpov,” he said. “You are telling me that this man is not….”

“He is not a man of this era sir. Yes. If this is the man I think it is, then he has come from our time, the 21st Century, and so has his ship. He was commander of the Russian battlecruiser Kirov in 2021, a guided missile cruiser, and perhaps the most powerful in the world. It has missiles, just like those you have seen us use against aircraft, and even more powerful rockets used to attack other ships. I am willing to bet that aside from that ship, there have been no other confirmed usage of these rockets anywhere else.”

Yes, thought Yamamoto, that would explain quite a few things. But who could swallow such broth and still pretend he is a sane man sitting at his table for lunch? In spite of that, how do I explain the presence of this ship here now, these weapons and radars? I am left with the distinct feeling that we will learn that these weapons are not really being manufactured by the Russians, just as this man says. If they had them, why didn’t they use them to defend Moscow? Why would they be on this single ship, and nowhere else… Yes… nowhere else. There has not been a single report of these rockets being used anywhere else, only with this mysterious Russian ship from the Atlantic…. Until this moment… Until a ship crewed by these officers and men, all Japanese, sail so boldly into my compass rose with this ridiculous story, and yet with power and a military capability that is simply astounding.

Ugaki wants to draw his sword and take this man’s head. Perhaps he should, but what good would that do? Suppose instead I join this Kabuki theater, and play my part. They are tapping out the rhythm, and so now, I will join the dance.

“Very well,” he said slowly. “Admiral Ugaki, if you squeeze the hilt of that sword any further you will shatter it. Kindly rest at ease. These men have certainly told us things no sane man could ever believe, though I do not think they mean any disrespect in so doing. After all these hours with them, I still do not know who they are, or where they have come from, but one thing I do know is this—they have power at their disposal that exceeds anything we have ever seen. And if they are loyal to our nation, then that power can make our fleet invulnerable to enemy air attack. Isn’t that what you claim?”

“For a time,” said Harada. “Like all other things in life, the power we possess is not unlimited. Our defensive capabilities can certainly shield any fleet we sail with, and keep it from harm, even if the enemy knows exactly where we are. Takami can detect and stop any air attack… until our missiles run out.”

“Run out? Then you cannot obtain any more from the designers of this ship?”

“No sir, none of the men and women who designed and built Takami have even been born yet, and our missiles cannot be reproduced, reverse engineered, or manufactured anywhere on the earth at this time. Once they are gone, we will have our radars as a valuable asset for fleet intelligence, but the missile shield will be expended. This is yet one more reason that argues to the truth of what I have told you. The designers are 80 years away, and quite frankly, since we do not even know how we come to find ourselves here, I must also admit that we have no idea how we might return to our own time. At the moment, we are marooned here, and needing fuel, we reasoned that we would have to make our presence known to the most reasonable man in the fleet. This is why we came to you, sir. You alone will know how this ship might best serve our nation now.”

“I see…” Yamamoto just looked at Harada, and at his First Officer. “You might have told me this ship was a highly secret project, and created by a small splinter group nested within the military. You might have said the ship was built for some other purpose, perhaps as a seaplane tender, and then secretly modified to receive and use these new weapons. That I would be unaware of such a development would be improbable, but still within the realm of possibility. But you did not tell me that at all. Instead you simply hand me the impossible, an explanation that no man could ever believe, and one that prompts an otherwise proper and courteous officer like Admiral Ugaki to call you a fool, because he clearly thinks that is what you make us both out to be. Well, I am not a fool, and I do not think you are one either. Who would do such a thing, build such a ship, crew it with uniformed men, and come to me with such a story? Why would they do this?”

“Because it is the truth,” said Harada flatly. “Yes, we could have lied to you tonight, and perhaps you would have believed that lie, at least for a while, until you had tested that story to the extreme and found it to be a falsehood.”

“So instead you concoct an utter fantasy?”

“No sir, instead I simply related the fact of the matter. What I have told you is as real and true as the deck of this ship, built with materials, I might add, that do not even exist today. I could show you our computers, machines that process and analyze the signals received from our radars. We use them in that capacity, and for many other tasks, and they have not even been invented. Yet, they are here. I can place your hand on one, show you how it operates, and you will be unable to dismiss it as a fantasy, I assure you, any more than you can dismiss what we showed you this night. Reality bites, Admiral. It leaves its teeth marks in you, no matter whether you believe in it, or not. The men who died on those planes got the worst of it tonight, and that was a difficult thing for me to do—a difficult thing for me to order my men to do.”

“To strike down our enemies is every man’s duty and honor,” said Ugaki.

“Well sir, here is another thing you may find difficult to believe. In our day, the Americans were not our enemies, but our stalwart allies. In fact, the radars and missile systems used on this ship were first developed by the United States in the late 20th Century, and that technology was then shared with the Japanese Navy. So it was more than ironic that I just used American designed missiles from a future neither of you could ever see or comprehend, to kill American made bombers in a past that I still struggle to believe. We all do. Each day we awake and cannot believe what is before our eyes. Each night we sleep and think to dream this all away, but when we open our eyes, there sits the battleship Yamato, a ship that cannot exist, at least as far as we are concerned. It sailed these waters for the last time on April 7, 1945.”

“What are you saying?” Ugaki stood up, his eyes flashing with anger.

“I am saying Yamato was sunk by the American naval air force on that date. It was struck by no less than nineteen torpedoes, off the coast of Okinawa as our nation fought a last terrible battle for our survival before the end came, and with a terror that neither of you can imagine. In telling you this you will have the answer to the riddle you just posed, Admiral Yamamoto. Why tell a man the impossible when he might have swallowed the improbable? Because to tell you the truth, and to have you accept it as fact, then we have yet one more weapon at our disposal here—information. The war you are fighting now is our history. It is all written up in books sitting down in the ship’s library. You can go there with me if you wish and read them. Perhaps even see photographs of yourselves that have yet to be taken. Would that convince you? Would such a shock finally force you to accept what I have told you is the truth? And it may also shock you even more now to know that I can tell you the day and hour that each of you are fated to die.”

Chapter 11

The things they were hearing now sat scornfully upon the mountain of outrage these men have piled before us, thought Admiral Ugaki. How dare they say such things, speak of the death of the flagship of the fleet, speak of our own demise like this? If Yamamoto were not here, I would surely take this man’s head. I would strike a man five times in the face with my fist for simply failing to salute properly, yet look at the latitude Yamamoto extends these men! To kill them here and now would, of course, be unpardonable, so I must defer to the Fleet Commander’s wishes and hide behind a thin veil of manners. Yet I will be quite the ugly bride, and both these men will certainly know it. Does Yamamoto believe any of this nonsense? Why does he even treat with these men any further? We should simply order them to go slit their bellies and then commandeer this vessel, begin an investigation as to how, when, and where it was really designed and built, and find out who is behind it. Doesn’t the Admiral see that?

“Now you begin to try even my patience,” said Yamamoto, much to Ugaki’s relief. “It is never polite to speak of another man’s death, that is unless you are prepared to take his life.”

Harada bowed deeply. “I mean no disrespect, but it was necessary to convey to you the degree to which the knowledge we possess can be useful. Had I come to you with the story you suggested a moment ago, saying this ship was a secret project within our own government, then you could never truly believe any of what I must now tell you. I had grave doubts about revealing what I will say next, and again, I beg your forbearance. Try to hear what I say in light of the great undertaking you personally set in motion when you insisted that Japan should attack the Americans at Pearl Harbor. I know you had your own reservations concerning this war. I know that you believed our fighting spirit—seishin—would push the blood in our veins as we strove for a victory that might be beyond our grasp. Many others had such reservations, men like Admiral Hara, who came to Admiral Ugaki’s cabin aboard Nagato after the senior officers of the fleet were addressed at Hiroshima Bay. I was not there to hear that speech, because I was not yet born to this world.”

“How can you know this?” said the stern faced Ugaki. “That was a private meeting, which now leads me to accept my suspicion that you are all operatives of the Kempeitai!”

“No sir, as artful and intrusive as they may be, not one man among them would know anything about what I will now reveal here. Hara expressed his doubts about waging total war. He asked if we might not simply strike south to seize the resources of Indonesia, while avoiding action in the Philippines against the Americans, but you told him it was too late to change the plans, that every diplomatic option had run its course, that we now had no choice except this war with the United States. A week after that conversation you began writing Senso Roku, the Seaweed of War, your personal diary.”

“What? Then you are a spy, as I have long suspected. How else could you know this?” He looked at Yamamoto now, his eyes wide. “You see? The Kempeitai are everywhere, and this fantastic story spun out here is simply a distraction. Now they begin to reveal who they truly are.”

“Sir, with all respect, we are not members of the Kempeitai. I also know that you both had entertained the same reservations expressed by Hara, and wonder whether this war will turn out to be a victory cup or a bitter dose for the future empire.” In saying that last bit, the Captain was making a direct quote from Ugaki’s own diary, and he cast a wary glance at him as he did so.

“I know this because I have read your war diary, Admiral Ugaki, and not because we are agents spying on your personal affairs. No. Your diary was published and widely circulated after the war. It is history. A copy of everything you will one day come to write in it now resides in our ship’s library. I will not speak further of this, firstly out of respect for your privacy, and secondly because we have seen that things are different here now. That volcano, for example, was never supposed to erupt. There never was a Russian ship dueling with our navy in the north. Siberia never invaded Kamchatka, largely because we never had troops there, and they already owned all that territory. Hiryu was not sunk after Pearl Harbor as you say here, nor was Mutsu and the cruiser Chikuma damaged as you spoke of earlier. So from what we can see, the history is different, and it may not re-write itself as we know it. Therefore, your account of it may differ considerably if you continue to set your thoughts down in that diary, particularly if you allow us to make yet one more proposal.”

“Another proposal?” Yamamoto forced a smile, deeply disturbed now by what this man was saying. How could he have known about something as private as Ugaki’s personal diary. How could he have the effrontery to ever mention it openly like this if he did have knowledge of it. And now this claim that it was all published history neatly dovetails into their other impossible story, the grand theater in which they beckon me to take a part.

“What proposal?” he said, wanting to hear these men out before he finally decided their fate.

Ugaki was barely managing to contain his rage, but he forced himself to sit down again, and reached for the saké himself, in spite of Yamamoto’s disapproving glance. It was the one chink in the otherwise unassailable fortress Ugaki stood watch on, his aspect always stern and expressionless, never revealing his emotion or inner thoughts. That he had shown such anger and frustration here was evidence that he was most upset with these events, and Yamamoto knew there would certainly be repercussions.

“Sir, we know of your own views concerning this war, and our prospects for victory. America has been struck a heavy blow, and they will rise now with great rage to prosecute this war. You yourself know this, and even though our present navy is now second to no other fleet in this world, that will not always be the case. The industrial might of the United States, and the vast resources they have at their disposal, will soon make any real victory in this war impossible for Japan. If we do fight on, it will be to our utter destruction and shame. This is what we now hope to avoid, for like Admiral Ugaki’s diary, we know the entire history of this war, every battle, every decision and its outcome, every mistake and failure, every brilliant thrust. It is all history, and a fate that we sincerely hope we can avoid now. This is why, after finding ourselves here, we come to you so boldly, speaking like drunken fools, yet with the hope that you will still hear us and realize the potential we have before us. With this ship, you can re-write that history in a way that might save our nation.”

“You have intimated twice now that the outcome of this war leads to our destruction,” said Yamamoto. “It is as if it is all finished and resolved. Humoring you for the moment, tell us what you claim to know.”

“Everything sir, at least as it once happened. We know that you hold to the notion of kensho, the daring and artful blow that can knock down your enemy with one strike. It was this thinking that led you to believe the attack on Pearl Harbor would smash the American Fleet before it could intervene in any effective way to oppose the Strike South plan. In this you were correct, and you will now please forgive me if I claim to be putting thoughts into your head, but we came to understand that your desire for this one great and final blow will now lead you to plan an operation, in just a few months, that will seek a decisive battle with what remains of the American fleet. In that battle, Japan will suffer a catastrophic defeat.”

“I see…” said Yamamoto. “And just where will I fight this battle?”

“Sir, in the history we know, it was fought over Midway, Operation MI. You will send the Kido Butai east again, hoping to find and destroy the American carriers, but in that battle we lose the cream of our fleet carriers, Hiryu, Soryu, Kaga and Akagi. Yet you tell me Hiryu is already sunk, so as I have said, the history we know is already different.”

Yamamoto inclined his head, seeing Ugaki take yet another sip of saké, but saying nothing about it. “And after this battle?”

Harada now looked to his First Officer, who had prepared for this possible meeting by reviewing the history. “A long defensive grind,” said Fukada. “Our ability to conduct offensive operations is severely limited. The Americans, however, quickly replace any losses. In fact, at this moment they have twelve more fleet carriers building in their shipyards, and they will just be the leading edge of the storm that will soon come for us. They will deploy twenty-six in what will be called their new Essex class fleet carrier series, nine more in their smaller Independence class light carriers series, and these will all be added to the ships they presently have. Beyond this, they will build more battleships, cruisers, and destroyers and submarines in droves. They will use this force to put thousands of naval aircraft into the skies over this ocean, and they will eventually destroy the Japanese navy as an effective fighting force. We will see them take back one island outpost after another, bypassing those they do not deem suitable for their real war winning strategy.”

“And what is that?”

“Strategic bombing, sir. The Americans will develop a new long range bomber, the B-29. Once they take back the Marianas, they will develop a cowardly strategy of unrestricted bombing of Japanese cities—fire bombing. Tokyo will be literally burned to the ground, along with many other cities, and then late in the war, they will develop a terrible new weapon that will enable them to incinerate an entire city with only one single bomber. That may sound as unbelievable as everything else we have said, but I can show you documents from our library concerning this, photographs of the actual bombing taken by American planes, and images of what happened on the ground when this weapon was used against us.”

“In effect,” said Harada, “our nation was devastated, humbled, and forced to surrender to avoid the certainty of complete destruction. After that, Japan itself was occupied by the United States military, presided over by a military governor—one General Douglas MacArthur.”

“A new constitution was imposed on us,” said Fukada. “We were forbidden to design or deploy military forces possessing offensive weapons, which is one reason why this ship, Takami, has fleet defense as its primary role.”

“Eventually the Americans become our friends and allies,” said Harada, “opposing other enemies that arise in our time.”

“What enemies?” asked Yamamoto.

“China, and its ally Russia.”

“China?”

“Yes sir, the war there is already a quagmire for the Japanese army, where most of our ground forces are deployed. And it was very bitter, with atrocities that the Chinese will never quite really forget or forgive. In our day, China’s military is very formidable, and they are the new Rising Sun in the Pacific, with a navy that is much bigger than Japan’s. This ship was built to try and address that balance, and as war seemed imminent, we were on heightened alert. Yet now we find ourselves in the midst of a war we could never have imagined ourselves fighting. Now we find ourselves at war with history itself. If my supposition is correct, and the Russian ship plaguing you in the north appeared here as our ship did, then someone else is at war with the history here as well—Vladimir Karpov, a man from our time, and not of this world. He has already put Hiryu at the bottom of the sea, and if not stopped, what else might he change?”

Yamamoto nodded his head. “What then do you propose?”

Harada hesitated briefly, looking over at Fukada, then spoke. “Make peace, sir. End the war now while Japan is at the apex of its imperial expansion. Find a way to come to terms with the United States.”

“Then you came here seeking this meeting, with this ship and its wonder weapons, in the hope of persuading me to negotiate terms with the United States?”

“Yes sir, you are the only one with the prestige and authority who might do so, or so we believed, knowing the history. In a letter to Ryoichi Sasakawa, the financier and business man with whom you are acquainted, you yourself wrote that: ‘To make victory certain, we would have to march into Washington and dictate the terms of peace in the White House.’ Well sir, I do not think we can ever march to Washington, but we might be invited there by the Americans, and, if we do not attempt to dictate terms, but generously negotiate in good faith, we might have peace instead of the destruction of our homeland.”

“And do you think the Americans will seriously consider such a proposal?”

“Perhaps not, but if such a course were pursued as fervently as we now plan our war, there might be at least the hope of holding on to the victories we have already won, and yet obtaining peace instead of destruction.”

“Not likely,” said Ugaki now, finishing his third small toasting glass of saké. “Realizing this is all nothing more than a fool’s discourse, I will nonetheless join in, the saké tempering my anger, which is fortunate for the two of you at the moment. I do not believe the Americans will ever permit us to retain the territories we have already occupied, nor will the British. They will demand the return of Hong Kong and Malaya, and also demand that we withdraw our troops from Burma, Indonesia, and every other place we have taken in this brilliant offensive. As for the Americans, this General MacArthur you spoke of as our future military governor would never permit us to retain the Philippines, and they will want back Guam, Wake Island, and all the rest. You claim to have read my mind, Captain. Yet now I say the same thing to you that I said to Hara, it is too late. The water is already under the bridge, as the Americans might say. We could never relinquish these conquered territories without lasting shame, and so now if we must fight the Americans to retain our honor, so be it.”

“MacArthur will not be a problem,” said Fukada darkly. “We can see to that.”

“What are you saying?” asked Yamamoto.

“The history we know records that he will attempt to escape from the Philippines. He will come here, to this very island of Mindanao, and in a matter of a few days time. The Americans will send B-17 bombers to the one airfield they still retain here, Del Monte on the north coast. If you act quickly, occupy that field and interdict the sea lanes leading to it, MacArthur can be eliminated before he ever gets a chance to become our lord and master. And with Takami at our disposal, we can make certain he is either killed or made our prisoner.”

Now even Harada looked at his First Officer with surprise evident on his face. “Lieutenant Commander,” he said quietly. “We have not discussed this.”

“No sir,” said Fukada, “we have not. I only discovered it in my research a few hours ago after we engaged those B-17s. But now, knowing what I have just said, we cannot allow this opportunity to escape us. Can we? If we do so, then we would be the fools these Admirals already take us to be. Let us show them otherwise.”

Chapter 12

“It seems this man has no qualms about pursuing our war aims,” said Yamamoto to his Chief of Staff. “The Captain talks of peace, but his subordinate wants to eliminate our foes before they can rise to oppose us. How to solve this riddle? What should I do here, with these men and their ship?”

“Arrest them both,” said Ugaki. “Seize this ship with Naval Marines while we have them under Yamato’s guns, and conduct a thorough investigation. I assure you, we will get to the bottom of all this after that.”

“That would be a most unwise course,” said Harada.

“Agreed,” Fukada echoed, once again in harmony with his senior officer, at least on this point. “As we have demonstrated, this ship is valuable. I would venture to say that with Takami added to your existing fleet, we can seek and fight that decisive battle with our enemies that will assure a final victory. My Captain believes in the hope of a negotiated peace, but I must agree with Admiral Ugaki. It is already too late to expect our enemies will agree to a negotiated settlement favoring Japan. But after one more great victory, we might dictate terms, and not by marching to Washington. If we eliminate the remaining American naval power, then we can force them out of their principal base in Hawaii; force them to retreat all the way to their west coast. After that, we can see that no shipyard along that coast ever builds a single warship. Rest assured.”

“Lieutenant Commander—”

“You said we could speak our minds, Captain. This is mine. This is what I believe we must now do. We can eliminate MacArthur, destroy the American fleet, interdict their west coast ports, and force them to terms. We could even destroy the Panama Canal, and force them to sail all the way around Drake’s Passage at the southern end of South America if they want to send ships here from the Atlantic.”

Ugaki smiled. “I begin to like this man,” he said as he took another sip of saké. “Perhaps I will not kill him after all.”

“For that I would be most grateful,” said Fukada. “As for this Russian ship up north, you claim it is using missile technology. Takami has recorded data on all the weapons the Russians might be using. We can confirm our suspicion about this ship once and for all. Let us join any force you now contemplate sending north, and even the odds.”

“Lieutenant!” Now Harada allowed himself a flash of anger, and he deliberately left off the rest of Fukada’s title with that exclamation. “Our agreement here was to see if we could persuade these men to seek peace terms to end this war, not to begin planning out campaigns so we could continue it.”

“I understand that was your intention sir, and I agreed to come along as it was necessary for me to do so in order to present my own thoughts on the matter. As I have said, I disagree with the idea that we can now seek terms with the United States. I said as much earlier when the issue first came up. Yet I do agree that we can force the Americans to negotiate, and we can then dictate terms to our liking.”

“Interesting,” said Ugaki. “Now the two of them disagree. I must say, this is a masterful performance if these two came here to deceive us. But even if they have brought us this impossible story, they have also brought us this ship. They are all wearing uniforms. They fly our naval ensign. They claim to be officers in the service of our nation. If that is so, then they must first concede something here and now, and bow to our wishes in this matter. We will decide what happens here, so their opinion, and their disagreement, means nothing.”

“Just a moment,” said Harada. “Do not be so quick to relieve me of command here. I am Captain of this ship, and nothing will happen with it that I do not endorse.”

“More effrontery,” said Ugaki. “Well, Captain, even if your rank insignia is somewhat strange to me, you should well know that Admirals give orders in this war. Captains merely carry them out. We have extended you wide latitude here, much more than I would have ever permitted. Admiral Yamamoto has been more than gracious in sitting here through all this nonsense. Your story was as good as the saké you serve up, and it goes to my head the same way. What do you say, Admiral? What should be done with these men and their ship?”

Yamamoto looked at his Chief of Staff, a man he had not yet warmed to, and one he never requested in this post. Ugaki was an old school officer, with the mentality of a samurai. He looked fondly over his shoulder to the days of past glory, and in some ways he believed that an honorable death in this war was now his only option, and was willing to take the nation with him to the same oblivion he sometimes sought out with too much saké.

Yet Yamamoto had spent time in the United States. He was well aware of its industrial capacity, which is why he openly stated that while he thought he might achieve swift victories at the outset, he had no confidence that the final outcome of the war would favor Japan. So very much had been said here by these men that was most troubling.

That business concerning Ugaki’s diary was very interesting, he thought. I wonder…. He looked the men over, seeing them both looking to him now as the final arbiter of this little disagreement. In fact, they came to him for that very reason, both in league at the outset, now one an angel, the other a devil, perched on his shoulders and each one whispering advice. What to do here with this most unusual situation? He decided.

“Captain Harada,” he said quietly. “Thank you for your demonstration, and this dinner. I would like it if you would now show me to this library you say you have aboard your ship. I would like to see some of the material you say you have there.”

Harada had not expected that, and certainly Admiral Ugaki did not think that Yamamoto would give the story these men spun out even that much credence. Then again, perhaps he was now simply asking them to make good on their boastful pronouncements, so he said nothing in protest.

“I would be happy to escort you to the ship’s library sir,” said Harada.

“Good. Admiral Ugaki. Would you be so kind as to wait here with the Lieutenant Commander? If this kabuki theater has a script, I will now read it. If not, I will return shortly and give you all my decision.”

* * *

When the Captain left with Yamamoto, Fukada decided to sit and drink with Admiral Ugaki. “I hope you will forgive what you now say were wasteful words shared here with you tonight,” he said. “Perhaps I will never convince you otherwise, but we mean no disrespect, and we seek the best interests of our nation. Unfortunately, I believe the Captain and I will have different views, as you have seen, on how to best pursue those interests.

“You have a samurai’s soul,” said Ugaki, feeling his liquor just a bit more now. “Well, you are sitting in front of one now. My family has a long history, and I have striven to live up to it. The lower ranks call me the man with the golden mask, because I am firm and unyielding, and my face is set and determined. Yet when your Captain spoke of my diary, I did not know what to think. I did name it as he said, Senso Roku, the Seaweed of War, and if you are truly a naval officer, and not Kempeitai, then you know well the anthem we often sing about corpses in the water.”

Fukada nodded, then spoke quietly.

“Across the sea, corpses in the water;

Across the mountain, corpses in the field.

I shall die only for the Emperor,

I shall never look back.”

“Exactly!” said Ugaki, raising his saké glass to Fukada’s with a clink. “My… A few moments ago I was contemplating cutting off your head. Now here I sit commiserating with you and sharing saké!”

“I am glad for that,” said Fukada. “for I wear the same mask as you do, Admiral. You have heard my opinion as to what I believe we should do. Even if you do not believe what we have told you, you must certainly believe what we have shown you. Actions speak louder than words. You once asked me to write my death poem when I told you I was prepared to take my life to further the aims we now pursue. Here it is…

Had I not known that I was dead already

I would have feared your sword when it flashed to take my life.

Yet we are nothing more than cherry blossoms

Falling on the wind…”

“Ah,” said Ugaki. “I like that. ‘Let us meet again at Yasukuni, blooming on the same treetop!’” Now Ugaki was quoting another famous Japanese song that was played near the shrine of Yasukuni during the Grand Festival, which commemorated the fallen soldiers that gave their lives in defense of the nation, and dated to the reign of the Emperor Meiji. The souls of all the fallen were said to be enshrined there, like cherry blossoms on the wind.

“I know the place,” said Fukada. “While it also enshrines the hope of peace, I am a realist. I know that it will take many more cherry blossoms falling on the wind to realize our aims in this war. Our Captain was bold enough to say that you would be one of them, and I must now tell you that yours was a most honorable death. Yes, it would be my honor to fall with you, and bloom again with you on the same tree.”

Ugaki had once been called the last samurai for the way he chose to end his life, personally flying the final kamikaze mission of the war after the Emperor ordered Japan to surrender. Fukada knew this, and he could also see that the saké Ugaki was known to have often enjoyed had tempered the sharp edge of his sword. He was quietly using this knowledge to curry favor here with this influential man, hoping he could convince him that they were of the same ilk and mind, two cherry blossoms on the same wind, and destined to bloom again on the same tree.

“Do you honestly still hold to that silly tale you spun out here?”

“What does it matter?” said Fukada. “Takami is real, that much I know without question.” He tapped his foot on the hard deck beneath them. “The missiles under our forward deck are real, and you have seen what we can do with them. You may find our behavior here unpardonable, but I beg you, before you take our heads, let us use them for a while so we can fight for Japan! With this ship, we can do exactly what I claimed a moment ago. We can certainly find the American carriers with our advanced radars, and then our planes can strike and destroy them, and without fear of reprisal. Takami can destroy any American counterstrike aimed at our fleet. Victory will be assured. Then, once we have sunk the last of their fleet carriers, we will reign supreme in the Pacific, just as I described.”

“They may be very cagey,” said Ugaki.

“Yes, but if we strike at a place that is vital to them, they will have to respond. This, I believe, is in Admiral Yamamoto’s mind. We also have the element of surprise, because they will not expect that we have such technology.”

“But they saw those rockets take down two of their bombers.”

“That was regrettable,” said Fukada. “It was why I spoke up and advised the Captain to destroy the remaining bombers. It was also unwise for us to boldly shoot down that target drone right here over the bay, but at that time we had no other option. We had to shock you with our capabilities to at least gain this audience.”

“But with such a strange story? Come now, how was this ship really built? Who was behind it?”

“Mitsubishi industries,” said Fukada with a wink. He was telling the truth, but making it seem that the company of this day was responsible.

“Then what was this business about MacArthur escaping from the Philippines? Don’t tell me you are reading tea leaves and foretelling the future. I did not ask to visit your library, because I am quite satisfied to live in this world as it is.”

“As am I,” said Fukada, with a strange inner feeling. He was not a married man, and had dedicated most of his young adult life to the service, coming up through the ranks to his present post, and hoping for a captaincy soon, his own ship. Now, however, he was dreaming of something more.

“Mark my words,” he said with a hush, as if confiding secret present day intelligence to Ugaki, and not now making fanciful boasts. “MacArthur will attempt to escape from Homma’s trap in the Philippines. He has plans to do exactly what I have said, and that was another reason I wanted to shoot down those remaining three contacts. They were most likely B-17s, yet I spoke with our Lieutenant Hideo Honjo, who conducted that engagement in the command center we showed you. He tells me those last three contacts diverted their course before we fired on the others, so they already had some pre-arranged plan. Our radar’s tracked them bearing north along the coast of Mindanao, before turning west again. They can have no other destination in mind but Del Monte airfield. I urge you to take it, and then let us see if this MacArthur will enjoy the accommodations we provide for him in an interrogation room before he presumes to become the Military Governor of Japan.”

He smiled, and got the same reaction from Ugaki, his golden mask melted away by the free flowing saké. It was the only time Ugaki ever allowed himself to drop his carefully guarded persona, the austere aspect he projected now softening considerably.

“What was all that nonsense about losing our own fleet carriers?”

“That was what the Captain fears if we are not careful. Of course, you and I know that may not happen at all, particularly not with Takami sailing with the Kido Butai! But tell me, Admiral, what was it that happened up north with Mutsu and Chikuma?”

“Both ships struck by naval rockets,” said Ugaki. “Just as Admiral Yamamoto said. Mutsu was old, and ready for the scrap yards. In fact, we have been entertaining plans to convert that ship to a hybrid battlecarrier. There is no point in trying to salvage it as a battleship. If any guns remain functional, we should move them to the forward turrets, and then sweep away all the damaged superstructure and throw up an armored flight deck.”

“And Hiryu was also sunk the same way, by naval rockets?”

“We had some idea where the enemy was,” said Ugaki, his loose lips freely disclosing this otherwise classified information now. “Nagumo was preparing to launch, and when Hiryu was struck, the resulting secondary explosions and fire simply gutted the ship.”

“Takami can prevent that from happening again,” said Fukada. “Our missiles are good enough to even stop other naval rockets.”

“Oh? Our gunners certainly could not stop them. Nagumo thought they were piloted. They bore in on the targets unfailingly, but were simply too fast for our flak guns.”

“We can stop them,” said Fukada. “That is unless the Captain loses his nerve with all this talk of peace negotiations.” There, he stuck his pin in this voodoo doll, knowing that Harada could be the one major obstacle to what he was proposing to Ugaki now. “Tell me, what did this man Karpov demand before the outbreak of the war?”

“Oh, nothing much,” said Ugaki with just an edge of sarcasm. “All he wanted was Urajio back, and all of our Siberian provinces with it, including Karafuto.”

“Karafuto? You mean Sakhalin Island?”

“Yes, what else?”

“And what was that first place you mentioned?”

“Urajio, the old Russian port at Vladivostok. Can you imagine the impudence of that man? We have held that territory since 1908!”

Fukada resisted the urge to say anything more here, but he was truly surprised to hear this, a confirmation of his own hunch on the matter. Clearly the history was already skewed, but he could not imagine how that could have happened, unless it was all the doings of that Russian ship. Yes, that had to be the answer. He had attributed the other oddities they had uncovered in the radio news broadcasts to the presence of Karpov here, things that may have been changed by his deliberate intervention. Yet 1908 was a long time ago, and what was Ugaki saying to him now? He probed a bit further.

“So they want Urajio back?”

“That and all of Amur province with it, and all the other territories we took from them long ago. Well let me say that it will take more than this back stabbing attack on Kazantochi. He has done one thing with his brash declaration of war. He’s finally got our attention. Thus far, the setback on Kazantochi is not generally known outside top military circles, but now the Army has been ordered to plan an operation in the north. Tojo has even sent our Tiger of Malaya up there to coordinate everything.”

“Tiger? Ah, you mean General Yamashita?”

“Who else? He will get three or four divisions together from the Kwantung Army and put the Siberian incident to rest. Of that I have no doubt, but this Russian ship, Siberian ship, who knows what it may be. That is our concern. Can this ship of yours really shoot down those naval rockets, or was that another wild story?”

“No sir, it was the truth. We can track them as they fire, and then shoot them down. That is exactly what Takami was designed for—fleet defense.”

“Well, Lieutenant Commander, you may soon get your chance to prove this claim, that is, if Yamamoto doesn’t lose his nerve first.” He gave Fukada a conspiratorial wink, then shook his head. “After a few glasses of saké, you are much more tolerable, and a man begins to believe anything he chooses. Very well, I will not cut your head off today, but mind your manners tomorrow when I awake with the headache that will surely follow from my indulgence this night.”

Part V

In for a Penny

“In for a Penny, in for a Pound.”

― English Proverb

Chapter 13

Admiral Ugaki and Lieutenant Commander Fukada had come to an understanding, though it was one that was going to pose a problem for Yamamoto in the weeks and months ahead. Their rambling conversation had turned to the future course of the war, and the millstone that the invasion of China had placed around the necks of Japanese leaders.

“If I told you China would one day rise to be one of the world’s great powers, what would you think?” said Fukada.

“China? There are 500 million of them over there, and we have only 70 million, yet we ride the Dragon’s back, and tame it well. They have no real military capacity, but they come in their millions to pose a challenge. The Army has been bogged down in that war, and that will likely remain the case. The Chinese cannot defeat us, but real victory has also eluded us there.”

“And the Siberians?”

“A mere nuisance. Yamashita will deal with them. If your ship can find this Mizuchi we face at sea up north, then we will settle that issue as well.”

“Well we must be very diligent with the Chinese. They could pose a real problem in the years ahead.”

“Yamamoto fears the Americans more,” said Ugaki.

“As well he should. This is only the beginning of the war. The Americans have tremendous industry. They will out build us, even as I spoke earlier.”

“Nonsense,” said Ugaki. “And what was that garbage you told Yamamoto about the loss of all our carriers?”

“Anything could happen,” said Fukada, hedging his bet. “Yet it is now incumbent upon us to make certain no such disaster ever takes place. What are your thoughts concerning our best bet for renewed offensive operations, if I may humbly ask?”

“We always planned to fight a short war, swift, and even brutal if need be. Yamamoto hoped to eliminate the threat from the Americans at Pearl Harbor, but it is regrettable that there were no carriers at the harbor when Fuchida led the attack in that morning. They were lying in wait for us, and we managed to sink one. Now we must find and sink all the others.”

“You sunk one?”

“The Lexington. Where have you been? On the one hand you make pronouncements as if you were privy to intelligence that only the Kempeitai might ferret out. On the other hand, you seem surprised to hear of things that even rank and file crewmen might know.”

“Due to the secrecy surrounding this ship,” said Fukada, thinking quickly, “we were kept very isolated. Yes, much news of the war in recent weeks has not come to us.”

“Well you will learn soon enough. The offensive has gone very well, and we are poised to take Sumatra, Java, and the barrier islands. That will be the outer wall of our defensive line, and we will make it impregnable to enemy counterattack. Yet the best defense remains a good offense. Yamamoto is of a mind that we must still seek out the American fleet and destroy what remains of it in one great decisive battle. Yet you have the audacity to tell him this will end in our defeat. Believe me, he was very forgiving of your impudence earlier.”

“I meant no disrespect. I only said as much so that we could steel ourselves to avoid any possible mistake, and achieve the victory I know we can now have easily enough. Takami can make us invincible. And yes, we must destroy the American fleet, just as I spoke earlier. We must push them all the way back to their west coast, and keep them there.”

“And this terror weapon you blather about? What if they attack us with that?”

“They do not have the weapon now,” said Fukada. “And we must take steps to make certain they never obtain it.”

How he thought they could do that, Fukada did not say, or even really know himself at that moment. One thing was clear, however. His mind was firmly set on how Japan could prevail in this war, and talk of peace was the farthest thing imaginable as the wheels of his thinking slowly ground on through the saké.

“I must tell you one thing that I hope you will take very seriously, Admiral Ugaki. It is a matter of grave importance; no matter what plans might be devised for the future course of the war. The Americans have broken our naval code system.”

“What? How can you know this?”

“It is what I believe. How else could they have cleverly moved all their carriers out of Pearl Harbor just days before our planned attack?”

“I have had my suspicions concerning that.”

“Well founded suspicions this time, Admiral. They have broken our code, and we must make every effort to change it at once.”

* * *

“This is the ship’s Library, sir,” said Captain Harada.

Yamamoto looked around, somewhat confused. “But where are the books? I see nothing here but these tables and chairs, and those strange flattened typewriters. And what are those dark panels?”

“Information screens. This is what we call a virtual library. Those keyboards can be used exactly like a typewriter. You can use them to search our library data files, which are most extensive, especially concerning the Pacific War. Simply type what you wish to look for. You may also sit down before any of those panels and speak your request. Here, let me show you.”

Harada sat down, and then began speaking. “Shattered Sword, Midway.” Immediately a reference came up to a book by that title, Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway, by Jonathan Parshall.

“This man has done an extensive analysis of a battle you have yet to fight, the decisive engagement my First Officer was commenting on earlier, the Battle of Midway. It was there that we lost all four fleet carriers assigned to the Kido Butai, and over 300 planes with our best pilots, effectively ending our ability to cover offensive operations with naval air power. You are a great proponent of the naval air arm, and so you must realize how much this hobbled us and forced us on to the defensive. That was the great turning point in the war here, at least as we know the history. After Midway, the Americans took the offensive, and never relinquished it until they finally leapt from one island to the next, ending at Okinawa and planning the actual invasion of our home islands. It was then that the war ended, in August of 1945, with the terrible bombing of two of our cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, each destroyed by the weapon Lieutenant Commander Fukada spoke of earlier. Here, let me show you campaign maps and photography.”

For the next hour, Yamamoto sat mesmerized before what he had first called a flattened typewriter and strange black panel, which suddenly bloomed in full color maps overlaid with thrusting arrows showing the inevitable Advance of the United States Navy and their Allies. Then he was stunned to see the images presented, of the ships, planes and men he knew so very well. The images would haunt him for the remainder of his life, particularly those of his carriers burning, the sinking of Yamato and Musashi, the terrible bombing of Japan, and the massive mushroom cloud over Hiroshima, the utter devastation after that bombing, and the terrible aftereffects.

He closed his eyes, thinking. Everything he had feared was depicted in these images and maps, written up in these documents with such astounding detail, as if it had already happened. How was this possible? Who could have concocted all this material, built this ship, crewed it with these men, and sent it to me like this? It makes absolutely no sense… Unless… their story is true.

After leaving the Admiral quietly at his workstation, Captain Harada finally returned and waited respectfully at his side. “Have you seen enough, or would you care to see more?”

Yamamoto turned to him, with an almost leaden slowness. The renowned leader was not a big man, only five feet three inches tall, and now he seemed smaller yet, as if weighed down by all he had seen, carrying it on his shoulders like a shroud in black and white. He rubbed his brow. Feeling the same dark mood that had fallen on him just after the successful, yet abortive attack on Pearl Harbor. They were going to lose this war, he knew. It was only a matter of time. Hiryu was already gone, Akagi and Kaga in the dry docks for upgrades. Mutsu had been pummeled by a ship they had never even seen, Mizuchi, the demon of the sea. Something warned him that if he ordered a major operation up north to secure that flank of the Empire again, that unseen demon would wreak havoc, and exact a terrible cost.

Could it also be a ship from the future, as Harada suggests? If so, what chance have we against its terrible weapons? Even as he thought that, he realized the answer to his fears was right beneath his feet. The Java operation had been rudely upset by the rage of nature, and then this strange ship and crew appeared, and with the most preposterous and outrageous story he had ever heard, but with a ship that dazzled him with its incredible capabilities, equipment and weapons.

“Admiral,” said Harada, “I urge you to find a way to seek terms with the Americans—now, while we still have the navy mostly intact. Even if that means we must concede certain territories we have already taken, would not peace under those conditions be infinitely more preferable than the war you were just looking at, especially considering the outcome. Seek terms, sir. Get the best deal you can for Japan while we still hold the advantage.”

“Your incredible story aside,” said Yamamoto, “what you say makes a good deal of sense. But realize that such decisions may not be entirely up to me. Tojo commands the Army, and I do not expect that he will wish to relinquish any of the territories this offensive has seized, or even consider what you are suggesting.”

“What about the Emperor, sir. You could go to Emperor Hirohito and make a direct appeal. If he could be persuaded, Tojo might be forced to comply with his wishes.”

“Perhaps…” The image of a child burned in the searing fires of Hiroshima was the last he had seen, and it lingered on the screen, haunting him. He stood up slowly, looked around the room, seeing nothing on this ship that in any way looked like the other ships in the fleet he commanded. It did, indeed, appear as though it had been built in another world.

“I have asked you to accept an impossible story,” said Harada. “I have tried your patience, or perhaps even courted death in what I came here to do. Yet in those images you have just clearly seen my motive. I urge you to strongly consider what we have proposed.”

“I will do this,” said Yamamoto, “but it seems your First Officer has other ideas.”

“I will deal with him privately, sir. That is my concern.”

“Very well… Captain Harada, I hope you realize the difficulties in what you ask. Suppose I do manage to convince the Emperor of the folly in continuing this war. Suppose he orders Tojo to find a way to negotiate terms? Then we have others to convince, the British, The Siberians, the Americans. They will demand we give back every territory they once possessed, and then Japan will be returned to the state it was in before the war. We struck south for a reason, to secure the oil and resources our Empire needs to survive. The American embargo had much to do with our decision to strike them at Pearl Harbor, even if it does seem misguided in light of the things I have seen here.”

“That is what we must negotiate, a lifting of that embargo to allow Japan free access to those resources. Yet instead of seizing them by force, we will purchase them from the Dutch.”

“That may sound reasonable, but realize that many men have died in this war. The Army, and our own SNLF Naval troops have taken a very hard line, particularly in China.”

“That is another problem. China fights Japan now, and our presence there comes to no good. It sews the seeds of enmity for decades, even to my time. China will be torn by a terrible civil war after we leave, and the government that arises will be very austere and oppressive at the outset. Then, ironically, China becomes a major world power, with a massive economy and industrial capacity even exceeding that of the United States. Their navy has nearly 700 ships by 2021, while we have barely 150. Their vast population sees over 600 million men fit for active service, and another 20 million men reaching military age every year. No nation on earth could ever invade or occupy China again, and in my time, they are the ones seeking to use that navy to expand their grasp of vital natural resources.”

“It never ends,” said Yamamoto sadly.

“Unfortunately, the war we were facing in my time was far more serious. The terrible weapons that ended this war will threaten to destroy the entire world, civilization itself. If that could be prevented somehow… If a way could be found to make amends with China.”

Yamamoto smiled, then his face seemed lifeless and forlorn. “Does your library record an incident at the city of Nanking?”

“It does.”

“Then you know what the army did there…. I think it will be very difficult for the Chinese to forgive or forget. Captain, should I attempt to do what you ask, and fail to secure the cooperation necessary to achieve peace, then what? We will be forced to walk the road we have already chosen. Will your ship and crew fight for Japan, or for the enemy that became your friend and ally?”

“Sir, we were in the process of trying to answer that question among ourselves. This mission, to try and reach you with this proposal, was the first option put forward.”

“I see… And what other options did you consider?”

“Burning this ship, and marooning ourselves on some isolated place. That was one possible choice that entered my mind, yet my First Officer argued strongly that we had the ability to affect the outcome of this war—not only with Takami, but with the knowledge we possessed in this library. Coming here like this was a risky thing to do. Your Chief of Staff had his hand on the hilt of his sword all too often when we told you who we really were. Then we learned of this Russian ship, and when I realized what this vessel might be, and who its Captain might be, I felt very conflicted. The Russians, you see, were our enemies in my time as well. You say there was already an engagement fought with this Russian ship, and you have seen the results. Be very careful, Admiral, very cautious. If that ship is the battlecruiser Kirov, it is extremely dangerous, with an array of ship killing missiles that you could not oppose. Do not send another task force north to confront this ship. Your losses will be very heavy, and I doubt you will ever see the enemy that inflicts this harm.”

“What about this ship, Takami? Your First Officer suggested we should fight together to vanquish this foe. Would you be willing to do this if so ordered? For that matter, are you willing to concede authority over the deployment of this ship to me, as Admiral of the Combined Fleet, or do you anticipate attempting to operate independently?”

Now Harada shrugged. He had not yet thought all this through, but he knew he had to give Yamamoto something here in exchange for all he was asking of this man.

“It was our faith in you that led me to choose this option and take the risk in coming here like this. Revealing the information I have just shown you was also a very great risk. Telling you I know the hour and day of your death was a daring thing to do, and I beg your pardon if I have offended you. Yet decisions are for both Captains and Admirals to make, in spite of Ugaki’s opinion, so I will make one here and now. Sir, I would be honored to serve under your command.”

Yamamoto nodded. “Then this day, we sail for Japan—Yokohama. I will request an audience with the Emperor, though I do not think it would be wise to reveal the things you have told me here, or even reveal the existence of this ship. When it comes to Tojo, I may have to take a different approach,”

“I understand, sir.”

“Very well, let us go and see if Admiral Ugaki has taken your First Officer’s head. These events have certainly taken mine, and I must find another if I am to command this fleet from this day forward. This war has only just begun….”

Chapter 14

MacArthur had barely escaped from the Philippines, spared what would have been an ironic death at the end of a Standard Missile 2 designed by his own countrymen. Captain Harada refused to allow any operation to ambush the American General, in spite of the urgings of his executive officer Fukada.

“Why are you so squeamish?” Fukada had protested. “We’re committed here. You know that as well as I do. Taking out MacArthur would be a real blow to American operations.”

“Possibly,” said Harada. “You could see it that way, and I know you may have a sour belly because of what happened to your family during the occupation. Losing your great uncle like that was hard.”

“Don’t bring that into it,” said Fukada. “This is simply a matter of strategy now. Why not get the primary mover on the other side? They took out Yamamoto, and didn’t bat an eyelash at that.”

“Because we don’t know who we might get in MacArthur’s place. Taking him down is going to create a big hole in this history, and we both know that nature abhors a vacuum. Something has to fill that void, and that will be entirely unforeseen, a real wildcard in the deck. What you have to realize is that our missiles will only take us so far in this. But the knowledge we have about how this war plays out is perhaps the greatest advantage. Take out MacArthur and everything could unwind. He’s the devil we know, likely to influence events in a fairly predictable manner. Don’t you see? We can read MacArthur like a book—literally. We know what they pushed for, what they decided, and that’s real power. Suppose they send someone like Patton over here? He’d be completely unpredictable?”

“That’s ridiculous…. But I do see your point. Yes, Big Mac is the devil we know, I’ll grant you that. But I’ll be damned if I’m going to let him sail into Tokyo Bay on the Missouri and rub our noses in those surrender documents.

“That’s a long way off, if it ever happens at all,” said Harada. “The whole point of our being here is to see that it doesn’t have to come to that. But what I’m trying to say is that we can’t see the real ends of any intervention we might make here. You act as though we’re riding this war like a horse, all nicely tethered and amenable to our every command. Yet we both know it’s a pretty wild steed, and things could easily get out of control. Everything we do here will have some consequence. For one thing, what if our presence here becomes widely known? Can you imagine the effect that would have?”

“Who’d believe it?” Fukada shook his head. “Hell, we can still barely believe it ourselves. No, my bet is that we’ll remain a secret weapons project, a prototype, to anyone outside the very limited circle of those who know the real truth. There’s practically no chance any real knowledge of our presence here would become generally known. People simply would not believe something that fantastic.”

“Let’s hope you’re right, but you see my point, don’t you? We don’t belong here. That’s the simplest way I can put it. Everything we do will be an anomaly, an insult to the history, and we have no way of knowing what dominoes will fall because of our actions.”

“The damn Russians don’t seem to be worrying much about it. They put Hiryu down and then roughed up Mutsu and Chikuma without all this hand wringing.”

Harada took a deep breath, thinking about that. “That may end up being our real aim here—the Russians. You’re right about one thing. This Karpov fellow seems to have no qualms about using his missiles, or any consequences arising from that. If we go north, then we’re going to end up butting heads with that man and his ship. Mark my words.”

“So MacArthur gets a pass here?”

“I just can’t do what you’re asking XO. Call me stupid, but there’s something wrong about bushwhacking him with a hot missile, in spite of what the Americans did to Yamamoto. But I’ll give you this much, we’ll even the score by making sure the Admiral doesn’t meet his appointed rendezvous with those P-38s. After all, we need him if this crazy plan of ours is to have any chance of succeeding.”

Fukada had to settle for that, but he made one last argument. “Look Captain… Alright, fair is fair, and if MacArthur gets a pass, then we save Yamamoto. I’ll go with that. But the time is coming, and very soon, when that Admiral is going to want to see just what this ship can really do. I’ll tell you one thing—the Emperor will not accept a negotiated peace if it involves major concessions, and Tojo will fight it tooth and nail. Our plan is crazy, though I’ll still support you all the way on this. But you’d better get your decks cleared and ready for action here. It’s coming.”

So they left it at that, and MacArthur made his way to Darwin, narrowly escaping from Del Monte Airfield before the Japanese could take it. He would arrive in Australia to learn the US was sending him the 41st and 32nd Infantry Divisions, and a mix of three regiments that would later be formed into the 23rd Division was to be sent to Fiji to relieve the two New Zealand Brigades there. To those forces he could add anything the Australians could make battle worthy, and in this, the three divisions Prime Minister Curtin recalled from the Middle East would play a very prominent role.

The General inclined his head, eyes narrowed with fatigue as he set down the sheaf of reports he had been reading. The memories of Corregidor were still heavy on him, the faces of the men and officers he left behind. He had no choice in the matter, as much as he hated to abandon his command in the middle of a fight.

My god, he thought, the Japanese certainly licked us in the Philippines, and damn good. But this isn’t over. I’ll be back. It will only be a question of time. Once I get the troops and supplies I need, the aircraft, then we’ll see how Tojo likes what I have planned for him.

Strategy… They are all trying to figure out what to do, Admiral King, Nimitz, Marshall and even the President. I mustn’t allow the navy to muddy the waters here. The United States has always been a maritime power, but now we’re looking at a war on two oceans. It’s clear where Marshall stands. He’s hot for action this year in the Atlantic, but I must impress upon him the importance of what we’re losing now in the Philippines. I must make certain the Pacific Theater is not overlooked.

In the early months of 1942 the United States was debating its war strategy at the highest levels, and the US Joint Chiefs had to decide how to divide up the resources at their disposal. The decision had been made early on that the Western Theater against Germany would be the primary area of US operations. MacArthur could understand that, but with the British pushed back to Burma, the Dutch entirely defeated, and the Japanese in an excellent position to seize the Solomons, he hounded Marshall for everything he could get his hands on, sometimes going right over his head and making direct appeals to Roosevelt.

The President decided to try and make a commitment of 100,000 men to the Pacific territories beyond Hawaii, and also send 1000 planes, the type and mix to be decided by the joint Chiefs. The first division sent to Australia was the 32nd, and the 1st US Marine Division was being moved into Samoa. Now more troops would soon follow, intending to bolster the defenses of Fiji. For the most part, however, Roosevelt remained convinced that the operations in the west should take precedence over the Pacific.

The planning division, now headed by Eisenhower, was already hard at work on joint US/British operations, and the movement of men and equipment to support them was dubbed BOLERO. He was one damn good clerk when he worked for me, thought MacArthur. Now he’s right in the middle of all the high level planning for the western front. Roosevelt wanted action, and he wanted it this year, in 1942. BOLERO was the war chest, and the operation they have in mind was being called GYMNAST.

The situation in the Atlantic was going to get the best units the Americans had, he knew. MacArthur had learned that the 1st, 3rd and 9th Infantry Divisions were being readied for operations there, along with the 1st and 2nd Armored Divisions. Well they mustn’t overlook the Pacific.

The German seizure of Gibraltar, France as an active belligerent in Northwest Africa, and Spain’s complicity in allowing German troops on its soil were all problems that Eisenhower never had to face in Fedorov’s history. The fall of Gibraltar and Malta had effectively sealed off the entire eastern and central Mediterranean, and the action then underway in the Canary Islands with the German Operation Condor was seeing more and more German resources directed to that theater.

The only development that proved in any way hopeful for the Allies was Rommel’s defeat on the Gazala Line and his subsequent withdrawal from Cyrenaica. Yet as Eisenhower looked over the plans for GYMNAST, the prospect of trying to invade both North Africa and Spain at the same time was a dual thrust that would tax existing resources. He subsequently flew to the Azores to meet with all the British Principles that would be involved in the operation and hammer the matter out. What emerged from that meeting would then become the first Allied operation on the long road they hoped to walk to victory, but the journey was by no means certain to succeed.

Its first obstacle, in spite of Roosevelt’s insistence that the Atlantic be given the highest priority, was the constant drain on resources that were being siphoned off for the Pacific. At one point, Marshall threw up his hands and wrote a pointed memo to the President stating that if 100,000 men had to go to the Pacific, the necessary shipping and time schedules would set back planning for BOLERO considerably, possibly even precluding it altogether.

The question again landed on Roosevelt’s lap, and he was quick to decide the issue saying: “I don’t want BOLERO interfered with in any way, and I regard it as essential that active operations be conducted in the Atlantic theater in 1942.” If this were to be the case, then the Pacific would simply have to make do with what it had.

Eisenhower and Marshall both thought that would be the end of it, and began drawing up plans to ship troops to Iceland, Ireland, and other Atlantic outposts. It soon became apparent that the operation required for offensive action in 1942—GYMNAST, was going to take considerably more time, materiel and planning than first expected, as well as careful coordination with the British. Even the most optimistic proposals and plan drafts did not see any real offensive beginning until late summer. In the meantime, the situation in the Pacific would continue to worsen with the loss of the Philippines the final blow.

The strategic problem facing the Allies in the Pacific was very much complicated by the hostility of the French. They had bristled when the US demanded Bora Bora as a rear supply base, impudently sending troops there. Then, in the brief hot action of early January, they had tried to exact a toll with a sortie against the US relief convoy bound for the Philippines that had to be diverted to Australia. The Pensacola Convoy had been fortunate that a pair of fast escort carriers had been sent to the region, and the diplomatic frost soon melted in the fire of real weapons, as the US put the French carrier Bearn under the sea for its meddling. With French now an active combatant in the Pacific, the Japanese had wasted no time in sending a small relief force to the primary bastion of French strength in the SE Pacific—New Caledonia.

The light Carrier Hiyo had arrived right in the thick of the disagreement then underway between the Americans and French, covering a small troop convoy bound for Noumea. Aside from its strategic position as a sword cutting right astride the lines of communications between the US and Australia, the Japanese also coveted this territory for its vital copper and manganese mines, resources the Empire was eager to secure.

The small Japanese convoy had carried the Ichiki Regiment to Noumea, the very same troops the Japanese once used to try and foil the early days of US occupation on Guadalcanal. Once there, the regiment distributed its battalions to the most vital locations, two near the big harbor in the south at Noumea, another further north at the airfield near Kone, and a cavalry reconnaissance unit at the northern anchorage of Koumac. Other sites were being surveyed, for the detachment also had aviation engineers there to further develop airfields.

The French had little in the way of ground troops in the New Hebrides, but pressed by Japan in February of 1942 to contribute more to the defense of these important island outposts, two brigades of the Tonkin Division in French Indochina were shipped to the Pacific. Escorted by the Japanese Navy, they arrived just before more powerful American units could be shipped in to seize territories that had been otherwise unoccupied up until that month. By mid-March, the French had troops on Malakula, Ambrym and the more important island of Efate. Vanuatu, a joint holding with the British, saw the deployment of a single battalion in the southern French territory of that island. The northern segment, designated Espiritu Santo, found the only British unit then operating in the Southeast Pacific, a small constabulary force composed of no more than 15 police squads at Hog Harbor. Separated by miles of humid jungle and highland terrain, the two sides simply ignored one another, though both made vociferous claimed to the entirety of the island itself.

This de facto Axis occupation of the New Hebrides would have a major impact on the course of events, and shape strategy on both sides. The Japanese already had a plan dubbed ‘Operation FS’ to move first into the Solomons and then occupy Fiji, thus eliminating the nearest bastion from which the Allies might threaten the New Hebrides. From there, they would then plan to drive the US forces from American Samoa, completing their stranglehold on Australia. With the Americans scrounging up shipping, and trying to muster forces for operations in the Atlantic and Pacific, the vital outpost of Fiji had been occupied by two brigades of New Zealanders, the 8th and 14th. There they labored to construct costal and AA defenses, and build several airfields requested by the Americans in January.

So in the Pacific, the American plans to contest the Japanese moves to isolate Australia would be complicated by the fact that the enemy now held most all the New Hebrides Islands and New Caledonia. Instead of trying to blunt the Japanese advance south at Guadalcanal, the whole question of whether or not an offensive should first be planned against these holdings was now being debated.

MacArthur argued that the New Hebrides could not be bypassed in favor of the original plan to oppose the Japanese in the lower Solomons. To do so would leave Japanese air power right astride his line of communications back to the United States. Marshall countered that the US simply did not have the resources to conduct an offensive into the New Hebrides, while also planning and supporting a thrust at the lower Solomons—unless BOLERO were canceled altogether, forsaking any offensive in the Atlantic Theater in 1942. Since Roosevelt would not hear of that, Pacific planners would now have to choose between a campaign aimed at either the Solomons or the New Hebrides, and MacArthur was going to weigh in on that before the navy took charge. He was determined to shape the course of the war now, and mold it into a framework for victory that he was even now assembling in his mind.

Yet first he needed the troops, the divisions, the aircraft, and the situation looked grim. The Japanese were already moving, out from their newly captured bastion at Rabaul like a plague of fitful bats. They were pushing into the Northern Solomons….

Chapter 15

In April of 1942 the first phase of the Japanese Operation FS began with the invasion of the large and important island of Bougainville. With good airfields at Buka and Bonis in the north, and at Buin in the south, it promised to serve as a strong initial support base for all further operations in the Solomons. In the center of the island, the wide Empress Augusta Bay offered a good anchorage, and Shortland Island just south of Buin also offered the prospect of a decent seaplane base. As soon as Rabaul was secure, the Japanese committed three strong SNLF battalions to secure these vital bases on Bougainville, and began moving in air squadrons.

This move set off alarm bells in PACOM and MacArthur’s ANZAC command, and the General wanted to know what the Navy planned to do about it. “Nimitz has been dragging his feet with one excuse after another,” he said to his Chief of Staff, the newly promoted Major General Richard K. Sutherland. “One day it’s fuel problems because of those bunkers the Japs took out at Pearl. The next day it’s lack of adequate shipping. I arrive here to find virtually nothing in the cupboard, and now everyone’s pinning their hopes on this Doolittle raid they’re planning.”

“Well we’ve got to do something,” said Sutherland. “We certainly can’t do much with the air assets we presently have.”

“Marshall was crowing that we already had over 500 planes.”

“Right,” said Sutherland. “Oh, it looks real good on paper, until you read the fine print. 125 were lost trying to defend Java, 75 were sent to the Aussies, 74 are under repair, and at least 100 are still not even out of the crates and fully assembled! We’ll be lucky to have 150 planes available for active service, and then with only a few dozen pilots that really have any experience. The rest are fresh off the boat, green as they come.”

“The same can be said for the troops they’re sending me. Oh, they’re having a fine time in the bars of Brisbane, and giving the Australians fits, but the 41st is hardly ready to take on the Japanese, and the 32nd is no better. Nimitz has the 1st Marine Division, but he wants to go for the lower Solomons. We need New Caledonia first. That’s where the Japanese are now, and that’s where we need to be. In fact, I intend to insist on this, even if I have to go directly to the President.”

“I’ve heard Nimitz out on this one,” said Sutherland. “He’s of a mind that if we throw everything we have at the New Hebrides, the Japs will beat us to the table in the Solomons and eat hardy.”

“Perhaps,” said MacArthur, but I’m inclined to think they’ll fight for what they already have. They know full well the importance of their occupation of that island. If we hit them there, they’ll reinforce, and then we’ll do the same. That’s where we start our war. The Solomons will come in time, but not now—not before we get the enemy out of the New Hebrides and secure good airfields to support a drive to the northwest. In the meantime, I’m talking to the Australians about an operation for Milne Bay. The Japanese have already taken New Britain, and they have airfields on New Guinea at Lae and Salamaua. Eventually they’ll see the importance of Port Moresby, which is our only outpost outside Australia in that theater. Milne Bay would cover Moresby’s right flank, and also give us a good anchorage for a line of advance aimed at New Britain. Take that and we cut the Japanese position in the Solomons off at the root.”

“Well if we’re going to ever do that, then we’ll need Nimitz and the Navy, particularly Halsey with the carriers. That’s where our air power is now, not on this clipboard.” He set down the report on air squadrons mustering in Australia. “The pursuit Squadrons are the worst of the lot, he said. Half the planes they sent us are P-39s and the older P-400s.”

“You mean P-40s?”

“No, I mean P-400s. It’s a modified P-39, only worse. Can’t climb worth a damn, and they pulled the 37mm cannon out of the nose and substituted a 20mm gun. The pilots hate ‘em. As for the P-40s, we’ve got all of 92 of those on the roster.”

“Make the best possible use of them,” said MacArthur, “and get them ready, because I intend to move them to Noumea at the first opportunity.”

“Noumea? Who’s going to take that for you General? Surely not the 32nd.”

“No, I think I’ll ask the President to commit the 1st Marine Division there. They’ll take it, then we’ll move the 32nd up and clean shop while they get ready for further operations. Let’s get a letter drafted ASAP.”

* * *

After departing Davao, Takami had planned to sail north with the Yamato group to Yokohama, but events were soon to command the interest of Admiral Yamamoto in the south. He learned of the steady deployment of forces from America, having seen the material in Takami’s library, and then verifying it with Japanese intelligence. The Americans were already building up in Australia, and the navy itself was floating plans to do something about it.

Yes, Australia is the one place they can fall back on now, he thought. The Navy floated several proposals for a possible invasion there, but the Army will simply not support it. Now, with this chaos on Java, everything is in disarray. The entire 2nd Division was shattered by that eruption in the Sunda Straits, right in the middle of our landing operation. Java is a complete mess, and my conference with General Imamura indicated that he intended to hold only the eastern segment of the island near Surabaya. For that he has selected the 38th Division. The remnant of the 2nd has been shipped back to Japan to rebuild, and the 48th was graciously offered to support our planned Operation FS.

The warning I received from those strange officers concerning Midway was most chilling. I had long considered that a fitting target to try and force the American carriers into battle. But the disaster I saw in those photographs, the loss of four fleet carriers, was sobering, to say the least. Is that what would happen if I attempt such an operation now? Is the history fated to repeat itself? How else would it get into those books and photographs I saw aboard that amazing ship? And more… the records and logs of what was happening on the flight and hangar decks of our carriers in the Midway operation was most compelling, right down to the signatures of officers that I could recognize on sight. When I showed these to Ugaki, even he was unable to dismiss it as a forgery.

So now these men, claiming to be our distant progeny, come to us and council me to end this war before it gets truly out of hand. I have asked for an audience with the Emperor, but Tojo responded that he would not be available for some weeks. The impudent little air raid staged by the Americans put bombs very near the Imperial Palace, and I have heard about little else since. That was in the books as well—the Doolittle Raid. That Executive Officer aboard Takami tried to warn me about it, and wanted me to alert our air defenses. The whole idea sounded so preposterous that I decided to wait and see if it could possibly happen as he predicted. It did… How could these men have known that unless they are indeed who they claim to be?

Luckily no real damage was done at Tokyo, and it was more of an insult than a real attack. Yet it underscores what could happen if the Americans do ever get bombers close enough to reach our homeland. I saw the images, terrible to behold, of our cities leveled and burning, and that terrible mushroom cloud over Hiroshima. Is all that fated to come, just as this Doolittle raid occurred, exactly the way these visitors claimed? Can I really do anything to avoid that inevitable fate? Can that ship do anything to help us?

I had to disappoint their Captain when I told him the Emperor had been moved to an undisclosed location, and that no high lever audiences would be permitted in the foreseeable future. And Tojo is railing that I must do something about the Siberians before they take any further action in the north. Army chief of staff Sugiyama has been mustering units from the Kwantung Army for the last several months, and preparing for a summer offensive that I will most certainly have to support. As for the Siberians, they have been moving small detachments to northern Sakhalin by air, but cannot move anything more substantial until the sea ice clears in the Sea of Okhotsk, where it is still very heavy, reaching its maximum by late March. It will remain heavy through the end of April. In that interval, I have precious time to see to affairs here in the South Pacific. Come May, with the sea lanes opening in the north, I will have to see about the Siberian threat, but for now…. Operation FS.

Yes, I disappointed this Captain Harada when I told him no audience with the Emperor was possible for the moment, and that it would also be impossible for me to sit idle for another month until that opportunity arises. A most interesting man, that one. I could see he is very conflicted about his situation here, which is only understandable. His Executive Officer is quite another man. He wanted to strike down MacArthur, then immediately challenge the Americans in battle. I must be very careful with that man. Tonight I will hear them out on the prospects for Operation FS, as from what I have been able to discover, there is nothing in their history books about it beyond the initial orders—orders that were cancelled in favor of the Midway Operation that I, myself, so strongly supported.

I was wrong about Pearl Harbor, wasn’t I. And it seems I made more than one mistake if the story of this war as written in those books is a true reflection of these events. It was I who insisted on Midway, and so the responsibility for the losses there would have also been mine. But how very strange. Forewarned is forearmed. Knowing what these men have told me, how could I allow an operation such as the Midway Campaign to ever proceed. I asked Ugaki to collect the best proposals for operations under the assumption that the Midway plan would be shelved. Operation FS is what they handed me, and now I must see what these strange visitors have to say about it.

* * *

“Gentlemen,” said Yamamoto, “I have invited you both here to my stateroom again with Admiral Ugaki, and this time to hear your opinions as to operations now proposed by the Navy. I realize you brought me a question concerning peace, even if you did so on a most unusual ship of war. At the moment, it is war that is the order of the day, and we cannot afford to remain idle until the question of peace can be raised with the Emperor, which could take months. Tojo has spirited him away, and no audiences or other high level meetings are to be permitted. That leaves us with some difficult decisions to make, and so I wish to hear your opinions. Admiral Ugaki?”

Yamamoto correctly solicited the feedback of his Chief of Staff first. Ugaki cleared his throat, glancing over at Harada and Fukada, still inwardly disturbed by their presence, in spite of his brief accommodation with Fukada over saké. “The initial question is whether to first continue with our operations in New Guinea, or to move immediately to forge a link with our positions in the New Hebrides by a thrust into the lower Solomons. Two plans have been put forward, which I will briefly describe…”

He paused, eying Fukada and with a glint of mischief in his eye. “As you are supposedly men of a future time, you should, of course, already know these plans. Yes?”

Yamamoto raised an eyebrow, unhappy with Ugaki’s challenge to his guests, but before he could determine how to resolve it, the Executive Officer spoke up.

“Two plans,” said Fukada, “Operation MO was to be aimed at completing the New Guinea operation with the seizure of Port Moresby by General Horii’s 144th Regiment, the South Seas Detachment. At the same time, and as an adjunct of this operation, a seaplane base would be established with 3rd Kure SNLF Battalion and supporting forces at Tulagi in the lower Solomons. Rear Admiral Shima was to command this force, covered by Rear Admiral Arimoto Goto aboard light carrier Shoho, with four cruisers, and one destroyer.”

He folded his arms, a smug look on his face, and now it was Ugaki’s turn to raise an eyebrow. These plans had only recently been approved by the Imperial General Staff. There would simply be no way these men could be privy to them. Was this nothing more than a good guess? Yet how would they so clearly identify the objectives; the commanders only recently assigned to these missions? Fukada continued.

“Unfortunately, both plans fail. Either one or both should have easily succeeded, but they were not prosecuted aggressively enough. In the first case, the operation was compromised from the very first, because an intelligence unit in Melbourne was able to decode signals traffic. Have we changed our naval code yet? If not, you expose yourself to similar vulnerabilities. The enemy knew we were coming, and the American Admiral Fletcher was sent to stop us with a carrier task force. The engagement that followed became known as the Battle of the Coral Sea. Each side sustained losses, though the Americans were hurt badly with the loss of one of their bigger fleet carriers, while we lost only one light carrier. Even that could have been avoided by strengthening the carrier group assigned to the operation. Hara took in the 5th Carrier Division, but one more carrier there could have made all the difference. As it happened, the resulting air duels depleted our fighters and strike planes to the point where they could no longer adequately cover the troop convoy. Admiral Inoue ordered a withdrawal of the invasion force bound for Port Moresby. Thus the Americans achieved their strategic objective, and this operation was foiled. This led to a long and costly campaign along the Kokoda trail in southern New Guinea in an attempt to take the port from the landward side, but that failed as well. Shall I go on?”

Ugaki looked at Yamamoto, somewhat stunned by what this man had said. He was privy to details of the operation that were closely guarded secrets. Inoue had only just been selected the previous night by Yamamoto to lead the invasion force and assume overall command. How could this man know that? Somewhat frustrated, he decided to let him speak further, inwardly hoping he would ramble off in error, and subject himself to a stern rebuke.

Yamamoto knew what his surly Chief of Staff was up to here, attempting to discredit these men by prodding them to speak of these otherwise secret plans. Yet it seemed his ploy was back firing on him, and he said nothing, waiting calmly as Fukada continued.

“The other plan to take Tulagi succeeded at first, a survey was also made of the north coast of Guadalcanal to look for suitable sites for an airstrip. One was started near the mouth of the Lunga River, and it became the focal point of a battle for that island that lasted nearly a year, and eventually ended with our shameful defeat and subsequent withdrawal. From that moment on, the enemy was on the offensive. We never recovered, and this was largely because of the disaster at Midway that I spoke of earlier.”

Part VI

Hook, Line and Sinker

“There are two types of fisherman – those who fish for sport and those who fish for fish.”

― Attribution Unknown

Chapter 16

There was a heavy silence for a moment, and Harada shifted uncomfortably. “We have no way of knowing whether these events will repeat themselves,” he said, giving Fukada a quick admonishing glance. It was clear to him that his first officer had an agenda here. He now saw Yamamoto nod his head, a sober expression on his face.

“Your information is very accurate,” he said. “I do not even think the Kempetai could have uncovered some of the details you just related, at least not for another week or two. Those were the officers selected by Admiral Ugaki and I only last night, and we have not disclosed this information to anyone else. Now you sit here and recite all this chapter and verse, as if it has already occurred.”

“For us,” said Harada, “it has occurred. It is part of the history I showed you in our library. While things we have seen here are remarkably divergent, such as all this concern over Siberia, it seems some bells ring true, no matter when they are sounded.”

“Then you are telling us all these plans will fail?”

“Possibly,” said Fukada. “Knowing the outcomes, and why they failed, should allow us to prevent that. First off, no orders should be transmitted using the existing naval code until it has been updated. Secondly, if adequate carrier forces are assigned, I see no reason why the Port Moresby operation should fail, and more force at the outset sent to Guadalcanal could prevent the counterblow planned by the enemy. That island was the objective of the first American offensive of the war.”

“Not the New Hebrides?” said Ugaki. “Not New Caledonia? How could they leave those territories on their flank? Are you saying they bypassed those islands in favor of this attack into the Solomons?”

“Not exactly sir,” said Fukada. “No. The Americans already controlled the New Hebrides in the history we know. We never had any troops on New Caledonia, and in fact, they made Noumea their major support base for the Solomons operation at Guadalcanal. But things are quite different this time around. If we have strong forces on New Caledonia, that may be their first objective.”

“Then this is something you do not yet know?”

“It never happened in our history.”

“Yet you say the Americans are reading our JN-25 Naval code. Can you read theirs?”

“That may be possible.” Fukada looked at Harada now, a question in his eyes. “Perhaps our Ensign Shiota might manage that sir.”

“Perhaps,” said Harada, wishing his XO would lighten up here. “Assuming her Captain orders that.”

Ugaki smiled, pointing a finger back and forth at the two men. “These two do not quite see eye to eye on all of this, Admiral Yamamoto. Like two rats in the same maze, this one wants to gnaw his way through the walls to get at the cheese, while the Captain here prefers to sniff out every possibility before he commits himself.”

“A wise precaution,” said Yamamoto. “Isn’t that the point of the Lieutenant Commander’s warning here? Things must be well considered, and not pursued rashly or without adequate force or preparation. And yet, that said, we must act, and soon. There is one other plan we have not yet discussed. Perhaps you will know of it as well. We call it Operation FS.” Yamamoto looked at Fukada again.

“Ah,” said Fukada. “The Fiji Samoa operation. Yes, under the present circumstances, with our forces already on New Caledonia, a bold move now could fatally compromise American plans. I cannot give you details of this operation as I could with the Moresby plan, because it was cancelled in the history I know.”

“Cancelled?”

“Yes sir, the losses we sustained at Midway made that almost impossible. It never occurred.”

“I see… Well it may interest you both to know that I am issuing operational order 626 this very day, though not before we introduce a new coding system. In it, I will formally cancel the planned operation against Midway, and instead make those forces available to support Operation FS.” He said nothing more, waiting to see how these men would react.

“That is very wise sir,” said Fukada. “While Midway was a battle that we also should have easily won, the Americans again had the benefit of knowing our plans in advance. They have broken the naval code, and your order to reverse this setback is most welcome.”

“What are your thoughts concerning such a plan?” asked Yamamoto.

“Well sir, we know the Army’s view was that after the conclusion of Phase I operations, positions should be secured for a defensive front, and troops repatriated for operations in the north. The Navy, however, was not content to stand on defense, but sought some decisive engagement ground with the enemy, preferably within our sphere of influence. That Midway was selected was regrettable, as it was not in our sphere of influence at that time, and saw our fleet dispersed in a very complex operation far from any supporting bases or land based airfields. Your Operation FS is something altogether different. Beyond merely seeking decisive engagement with the enemy, it also has a broader strategic aim, that being the isolation of Australia as a base from which the enemy can mount offensives of their own. These are the crucial early months to accomplish that task, before the buildup of strong enemy forces in Australia. We already have the New Hebrides, which is a major strategic advantage that cannot be underestimated. Now is the time to link our position in the Northern Solomons to forces in the New Hebrides, and to strengthen those forces as far as possible.”

“And your view on the possible invasion of Australia?”

“Not practical beyond the occupation of a few coastal enclaves to deny the enemy the use of air bases and anchorages. Darwin, Cooktown, or other landings in the Cape York area may be advisable, but no general invasion aimed at central or southern Australia would be possible.”

“Yes,” said Ugaki. “The Army has told us it would take twelve divisions to invade Australia, and we simply do not have them, let alone the sea transport to move them and keep them supplied. I tend to agree that Australia might be raided, but never occupied. But it might be strangled to death, smothered, isolated to a point where it no longer poses a threat as an enemy base of operations. This is the point of Operation FS.”

“At the same time,” said Yamamoto, “we cannot allow the enemy to regroup their naval forces. We must therefore also see this operation as a means of seeking out and destroying the American Navy.”

“Agreed,” said Fukada, looking at the Captain now, and realizing he had been dominating the discussion while Harada brooded silently. Yamamoto noticed this, and turned to invite the Captain’s thoughts on the matter.

“Captain? Do you have anything to say on this?”

Harada shrugged. “While it is all sensible from the standpoint of strategy, it is still very far from the mission we set before us when I took the risk of contacting you. Here we are talking about destroying the American Navy, but we came here hoping to find a way to avoid further escalation of the war—a way to find peace.”

“I understand what you are saying,” said Yamamoto. “My heart has been heavy with that question since the war began, but here we are, faced with a growing enemy, clear opportunities, and with the matter of peace not even ours to negotiate. It must be handled at the highest levels of our government. Given the situation as it stands, perhaps we must see the operation before us as a means of clearly demonstrating to the Americans the futility of further hostilities.”

“Perhaps, perhaps. Do you honestly believe that the United States will cease operations in the Pacific and sue for peace if we succeed here? Suppose we take Fiji and Samoa? Will they quit? From this point forward, they will get stronger and stronger. Their first offensive occurred at Guadalcanal, but it seems to me that it will simply be aimed somewhere else when it comes. Has anything been communicated to them aside from our continual fervor in prosecuting this war? How can we ever expect them to reciprocate to any diplomatic initiative if we stand ready to annihilate their fleet and carry out further offensives like this?”

“Talk softly,” said Fukada, “but carry a big stick. Isn’t that a famous maxim of American foreign policy? What were they doing in the Philippines? Who did they take those islands from? Why did they impose an embargo on Japan, as they now support our enemies in China? America was never our friend, until they beat and harnessed us like a man might tame a wayward horse. I will agree with one thing, Captain. They will not stop this war for the niceties of diplomacy. It is simply too late for that. I supported your plan to seek accommodation, but things are as they are. It is a matter of survival for us now, and you know full well what is coming. From my perspective, it is imperative that we support Japan to create the most unassailable military situation possible. That is all this discussion is about. Operation FS will start us down that road.”

“Will it? Right now MacArthur is sitting in Brisbane and scheming on how he can mount an offensive aimed at New Britain.”

“You made sure he’d make it there,” said Fukada quickly. “I had other ideas.”

“Don’t bring that up now,” Harada hardened his stance, straightening in his seat. “Understand my point. We can’t take Australia. You pointed out the futility of that just a moment ago, and even the Japanese Army itself opposes any such planning. Now you can run your operation FS and possibly succeed, but all it will do is buy a little more time. The Americans already have five fleet carriers in the Pacific by now. That matches your Kido Butai, and the Midway disaster should be a strong warning to you—they know how to fight with those carriers. They’ll add three Essex Class carriers within a year, and more and more will come. If we sink one, they’ll build three more to replace it. That’s the war you’re looking at soon, and the missiles under our forward deck will only take us so far down this road to the unassailable position you fantasize about. Well, no position on this earth will ever be unassailable—not in this goddamned war. It will be no holds barred. Understand? Nothing we do here will stop the Americans from continuing to prosecute this war. We must either make peace, or dig in for the whole show, and you and I already know how that ends.”

“It doesn’t have to be that way,” said Fukada. “If we are clever, resourceful—if we pick our engagements with good foresight and planning, then we can stop them. The Enola Gay need not ever come anywhere near our shores.”

Ugaki smiled. “This one tells us how we can win the war, this other one tells us we must lose it, come what may.”

“I beg to differ,” Admiral,” said Harada. “My Executive Officer tells you how we can fight this war, but he is also smart enough to know we simply can’t win it. I’ll tell you that. He won’t.”

Fukada folded his arms. “We may not be able to win this war decisively, but at the very least, we can prevent them from winning it. We can make their road to our homeland so costly a venture that they may have no other choice but to seek a negotiated settlement. If we act now, and vigorously, then we might dictate terms favorable to Japan. If we equivocate at this key juncture, wasting time in seeking negotiations that you already know the Americans and British will not entertain, then we lose the advantage we have now. Face it, Captain. Our enemies will not give us peace now. It’s too late. The only way we can have that is to take it from them, show them there is no alternative, and there is no better time than this moment. You know that, as well as I do. The real difference is that I’ll admit it, and speak my mind, but you won’t.”

“Gentlemen,” said Yamamoto. “It is clear you have differing views on this matter. I have heard both, and while I look for a way to end this war as swiftly as possible, I am a realist. Given that we cannot now proceed with a negotiated settlement, I can only do what honor demands, and seek the most advantageous outcome possible for the forces under my command. I have asked, and you have answered, Captain Harada. You have placed your ship at my disposal, but now I must ask you if you can continue to lead your ship and crew if the only immediate choice before us is renewed offensive operations. We will soon have to take steps to check the threat in the north posed by the Siberians. I expect they will attempt further operations by mid-May. Until then, we have time that cannot be wasted, six precious weeks that cannot see our forces sit idle. If we do so, the Army will withdraw its support and return units to the homeland. So I have decided. Operation FS will proceed immediately, and if you are true to your word, I will expect the full cooperation of your ship and crew.”

Harada shrugged, but said nothing. It was clear to Yamamoto that he was a reluctant warrior, but he also thought that of himself. His studied eye had taken the measure of the man. There was a reserve of calm water in the center of his soul that will be the source of his real strength. His Executive Officer puts on the brave front, and he is the hot volcano wanting to explode as that monster did in the Sunda Strait. Together the two may balance one another, as yin and yang, but I must watch this relationship carefully.

“Admiral Ugaki,” he said. “Please brief us on the planned offensive.”

Ugaki bowed his head briefly, acknowledging the Admiral’s decision. “We had thought these operations would have to be conducted on a shoestring, but given the swift capitulation of enemy resistance on Java, we do not perceive a threat from the British on that front. Therefore, the Army has placed the entire 48th Infantry division from Java at our disposal. The 38th will remain there as garrison, except one detachment under Sakaguchi. Beyond that, we will employ the South Seas Detachment, Shoji Detachment, and other Naval Marine groups in these operations.”

“Where will we begin?” asked Fukada eagerly.

“Port Moresby. Orders to that effect will be sent immediately, using an altered Book B encoding. Orders indicating our intention to strike at Midway will also be disseminated using the old Book B encryption keys. After discussion with Admiral Yamamoto, it was determined that Operational order 626 would be transmitted in the new code, Book C, but that every outward sign would be made to convince the enemy that Midway and the Aleutians is our next objective. It is our hope that if the Americans have broken Book B, then they will muster their carrier forces to oppose the fictitious Midway operation, leaving our carriers free rein to support operations in the Solomon Sea.”

“One comment,” said Fukada. “At present, the only way you can disseminate information on the new code encryption keys is by using the existing code, correct? That will be risky. They may learn we are changing our code, and act accordingly.”

“What else can we do?”

“Just use the existing code for the moment, Book B, but assemble all forces required for either operation at Truk. There it will be possible to meet with all senior officers, informing them of the new encryption keys in person. Our people can help with this. We also have equipment on board that can help the transition to a new code. Otherwise, I agree that the orders pertaining to the Midway Operation should be sent in the old code, as long as our forces know enough to ignore them.”

“Very well,” said Yamamoto. “Truk is a suitable point to muster the fleet. At that point we will issue orders that appear to indicate Midway as the next target, and even dispatch initial covering forces as a ruse. Then the real operation aimed at Port Moresby will proceed instead.”

“And after Port Moresby?” Fukada seemed to have a restless energy about him now.

“Port Moresby will be taken,” said Ugaki, “concurrent with two other operations. One will be aimed at Tulagi and Guadalcanal, the second to reinforce New Caledonia with the Shoji Detachment, and then, once these objectives have been secured, the 48th Division will invade Fiji. We will meet to discuss concluding operations again after the successful completion of that invasion. In the meantime, your ship, Takami, will be assigned to operate with the Kido Butai.”

“Where will Yamato operate?” said Fukada.

“This ship will remain at Truk as a floating operational Headquarters.”

“If I might make a suggestion… it was found that one great flaw in our Midway deployment was the segregation of heavy fleet elements from the carriers. In effect, our carriers now operate independently, with only cruiser escorts. Later in the war, the Americans discovered that the heavy AA fire support from their battleships and heavy cruisers served to add a strong measure of support against possible enemy air attack. May I suggest we consider adopting such a policy? It would mean that we assign fast battleships and cruisers in direct support of the Kido Butai, and not in a separate screening task force.”

Ugaki deferred to Yamamoto on this, and he considered it briefly before responding. “I find such a proposal interesting,” he said. “In fact, I think I will order it. Yamato is already being referred to as “Hotel Yamato” at Truk. Musashi is due there soon, and certain Combined Fleet support elements can transfer to that ship. But yes, I think I will take Yamato out with the Kido Butai, and Admiral Ugaki, please assign any additional fast battleship support that may be available. If nothing else, I will have what the Americans call a front row seat to these operations. Now then… The timetable… Gentlemen, if I am correct, we have the next six weeks to try and win this war. Should we fail, then we can all sit here again and argue about how best to lose it. Yet for now, I want your full and unqualified support. The British also have a quaint expression which applies here: in for a penny, in for a pound.”

He smiled.

Chapter 17

Karpov was restless. The long hiatus imposed by the harsh Siberian winter had left him chafing for action. Yet ice in the Sea of Okhotsk was particularly severe that winter, one of the coldest in memory, and so he had taken Kirov down through the Kuriles as Fedorov advised, and out into the North Atlantic. They moved at night, through thick weather, with excellent charts of these waters, and passed quietly through the Nadezhdy Strait, a 20-mile gap between two small rocky islands. Radar returns from the high volcanic peak of Sarychev Mountain on the northern isle of Matua guided them through, and the Admiral mused on the fickle nature of the earth itself.

So Krakatoa has blown its top down south, he thought, and right in the middle of the Japanese landings on Java. From all reports the entire western segment of that island is largely uninhabitable now. That must have cost the Japanese a good deal in men and ships if they landed where Fedorov predicted they would. The British pulled out, having no stomach for the fight after that, though it was probably a simple case of logistics that forced their withdrawal.

That’s my problem now, isn’t it—logistics. I have good divisions waiting at Magadan for this damn ice field to thin out, but Fedorov tells me winter may hang on longer than normal now. That damn volcano has sent up so much silt and ash that it’s literally blocking sunlight from reaching the earth. It wasn’t even supposed to happen this year. The eruption was supposed to occur in 1883, but Mother Nature can be a headstrong lady. Look what she did to us right in the middle of that fight with Tanner and his 7th Fleet in 2021.

Yes, it was that demon of a volcano that sent me here, and I had a real good look at what the US Navy is going to look like by 1945. A pity I was on the wrong side back then, and still hot headed from that engagement with Tanner. All I could see was red when it came to the Americans, and I picked a fight there without properly thinking the situation through. Orlan paid the price for that, and everyone aboard. I never really did think to look in the history books to see how that little farce was written up, but then again, what does it matter? It’s 1942 here now, and everything is different. My little sortie to 1908 took care of that, but it also gave rise to the dragon I am now dueling with up here—Imperial Japan. None of those events I lived through in 1945 are ever likely to happen now, particularly since the Americans will be on my side this time around.

Hell, they were unbeatable without me, but with Kirov at my disposal, the outcome of this war is certain now. I’ve already shown the Japanese that I’m not to be trifled with. Fedorov tells me they were worried about the opening of a northern front all through these early months of the war. Well, now I’ve given them one. The loss of Kamchatka must have reddened quite a few faces in Army and Navy circles in Japan. The loss of that aircraft carrier and the other ships I pummeled also clearly demonstrated what I can do to them if they dare to oppose me.

Yet Fedorov tells me they’ll keep fighting. He says the Japanese Empire will simply not quit. In fact, that little tidbit he shared the other day was quite revealing. They have no word in their language to describe what we would call a military retreat. The word they use simply means “advance in a new direction.” And any withdrawal they make is simply viewed as a consolidation aimed at preparing for a new offensive.

So I must not underestimate my enemy here. I must think this through from a strategic standpoint, and in doing that, Fedorov has been most useful. He tells me that our occupation of Petropavlovsk may not be as important from a strategic standpoint as I had planned. I wanted to immediately offer those airfields to the Americans, but Fedorov says it is all of 1500 miles from that place to Tokyo, well outside the combat radius of their B-17 bombers, which is under 900 nautical miles with a basic bomb load, and under 700 nautical miles with a maximum bomb load. They could barely reach the northern tip of Hokkaido from there. How inconvenient. Beyond that, we both know weather conditions at Petropavlovsk are miserable most of the time. It’s one of the foggiest regions of the world.

If I wanted to hit Tokyo, I would have to possess bases in Southern Sakhalin, Karafuto to the Japanese, at least until the Americans produce their B-29 bomber, but that is some years off. Fedorov says that the ranges to any targets of value would require a very direct route, and it would force the bombers to fly right over Japanese held territory in Hokkaido, where they would most likely sustain very heavy losses. If I wanted to approach from the sea, then it would mean I have to hold islands in the southern Kuriles, as far south as Ostrov Iturup, which the Japanese call Etorofu, and that’s where my friend the Demon lives. Might it awaken one day here like that monster in the Sunda Strait? Not likely, but always something to think about. I can’t take anything for granted now, not in these Altered States.

So I need that island as an end point of my planned offensive, and I need to drive the Japanese completely off Sakhalin Island. I already have a toe hold in the north with troops I’ve moved in by airship, but that force isn’t big enough to conduct a real offensive south. It will take strong reinforcements, one or two more divisions from Magadan, and I can’t lift them until mid-May, when ice conditions ease up. Even so, the Japanese will reinforce from Hokkaido, so that is likely to be a very bitter fight when we get down south on Sakhalin Island.

As for the Kuriles, my amphibious landing capability is very limited. I have a small transport fleet, and I must protect those ships using Kirov’s AA defense shield at all costs. I thought the Americans could help out with additional shipping, but Fedorov tells me resources were very thin at this time in the war. I’ll prosecute these campaigns, and also have my younger self apply pressure on Northern Manchuria, but so much of our combat power has been sent to Sergei Kirov that we will have real limitations in this theater.

For the moment, I still have Kirov, and we’ll operate from Petropavlovsk, a nice Northern Pacific outpost. I know what the Japanese will be up to soon—Midway and their Aleutian Islands Operation. Perhaps the best way I can hurt them now is to insure that battle becomes the naval disaster it was for them, and help the American fleet get up a good head of steam here. They pulled off their Doolittle Raid, right on schedule. It’s amazing to see how the history walks in its own shadow. So Midway will be the next operation, or perhaps that preliminary carrier duel in the Coral Sea.

I’ve had Nikolin intercepting Japanese military signals for some time now, and Fedorov produced a nifty little program that decodes everything. It looks like Volkov didn’t even have the presence of mind to tell the Japanese the Americans were reading their code. Very well… How to best position Kirov to ambush the Japanese carriers? I thought they would react much more violently to our Kamchatka operation, as did Fedorov, but they’ve been very cagey. It appears they have learned to fear and respect the naval threat I now represent.

As soon as Nikolin informs me that signals traffic for the Japanese Midway operation picks up, I’ll take Kirov southeast from Petropavlovsk. About 1200 nautical miles should do the trick. That will put me a little north of the historical route of approach of their vaunted Kido Butai. This is going to be like shooting fish in a barrel. I can spare the Americans a lot of hand wrenching, take out all four carriers for them in one coordinated missile barrage, and then simply radio the US fleet the position of Yamamoto’s group and the invasion fleet approaching Midway. I’ll let the American carriers finish the job, and that will be that.

Yes, after Midway, Japanese naval power will be a shattered sword. I’ll see to that. Then perhaps they’ll pay just a little more attention when I renew my demands for the return of Vladivostok and Primorskiy Province. Fedorov thinks they’ll just dig their heels in as they did historically, but perhaps I can get them to consider a negotiated settlement with me. Can I afford to consider a separate peace here? How would the Americans view that?

After I win the Battle of Midway for them, they will most likely be very inclined to treat with me as an equal. At the moment, they are open to my proposal to provide airfields on Siberian territory, though Fedorov tells me they are doing so more as a means of opening a new Lend Lease route by air to Soviet Russia. I think I had better watch that closely. I should demand the lion’s share of any supplies that come over Siberian territory. After all, my support for Sergei Kirov has been more than generous.

Alright, it now looks like I can expect the decisive turning point in all this within 30 days or so—Midway. After that it is merely a matter of holding Japan’s feet to the fire until they yelp with so much pain that they will make the concessions I demand of them. After they lose their precious carrier fleet, they may not be so eager to have me as an active belligerent on their northern flank. If I get what I want, then the Americans can handle the rest, and I’ll focus my energy on resettling Primorskiy Province and supporting the Soviets. And I mustn’t forget Ivan Volkov.

He smiled now, thinking of the recent forced withdrawal Volkov made from his Trans-Volga bridgehead. Strange, he thought. This time the Germans got into Moscow, and even took most of that city, but the Soviets still pulled off that amazing Winter Counteroffensive—thanks to the three Siberian Shock Armies I sent to Georgie Zhukov. If I had them here, and had adequate shipping, I could retake Sakhalin Island and the Kuriles in a heartbeat.

So where is the Eastern Front likely to go now? Fedorov thinks the Germans will operate in the south. They already have the Crimea, though the Soviets are still holed up in Sevastopol. Fedorov thinks they will plan and execute an offensive something like their Fall Blau, Operation Blue. That was the drive that took them all the way to Stalingrad—Volgograd now. Sergei Kirov will not give that city up without a major battle, so that is where the real action will be as soon as the weather and ground conditions permit.

I’m told the Germans are introducing new tank designs, and much earlier than they did in the real history. I wonder if Volkov is behind all that? Tyrenkov tells me that the British have a new heavy tank in North Africa as well. It also fought in Syria, and stopped the German intervention there cold, so it must be very good. Yet my intelligence Chief has been unable to get me any real hard information on this development. I must light a fire under him about that.

One day I will need to consider the mechanization of my own forces. Kirov has been true to his word in allowing me to wet my beak as his new T-34s come off the assembly lines. I’ve been able to put together a few tank brigades for my forces around Irkutsk, but they are nothing approaching the tank army strength I will need if I have to really get serious with the Japanese and invade northern Manchuria. Beyond that, I wonder if the Soviets are also working on new designs. I’ve given Sergei Kirov a lot of friendly advice, but suppose I deliver the blueprints for the Josef Stalin Tank? It will have to be called something else of course. Yes, the JS-1 will be rightfully relabeled the VK-1, and they’ll call it “Vlad” for short.

That prompted another smile, though he knew the tank would likely be named the SK-1 if it was ever designed and produced. Sergei Kirov will want his name on a few more things than cities and towns. But if the Germans are building new tanks, we must do the same. Perhaps I can trade those blueprints for a commitment to bolster my air force. My Zeppelin fleet is very useful, but I need fighters and better bombers as well. I can’t build them here, but the Soviets can, and the Americans. And I have things to trade both parties for the toys I need. For now, however, I must finish up arrangements for Operation Midway. The Japanese are about to get the surprise of their lives!

At that moment, Tyrenkov came in. He had come over from Tunguska to make his monthly report to the Siberian Karpov, relating details of the operations now being coordinated by his younger self.

“Has Baikal shaken the dust off and worked into the fleet yet?” Karpov wanted to know about the latest T-Class airship that had just been commissioned.

“Yes sir, and the Admiral was very pleased with it. He took it out for a shakedown cruise, and it performed as expected. On that note, he has asked if an additional Oko radar panel and radio sets could be sent over, and any light AA missiles that may still be available would be most useful.”

“Yes,” said Karpov. “Every T-Class ship will get Oko Panels.” He had been taking the light SAMs that were in inventory for his KA-40s and sending them to equip Tunguska with a formidable air defensive shield for his Zeppelins. The airships were quite durable with their amazing self-sealing gas bags and the inert helium lifting gas making them less vulnerable to incendiary rounds. They could hold their own against most fighter attacks, and dish out a great deal of firepower on defense. With the missiles, and the Oko panel radar sets to see the enemy coming, he could rest assured that his Zeppelin fleet would remain a viable force. Its only real vulnerability in the operations he had been conducting was to ground based heavy flak guns. A 90mm AA gun could wreak havoc on one of those easy targets.

His brother self had been busy coordinating the airlift of troops and supplies to the northern Sakhalin bridgehead. He had a Marine battalion on defense there, and was bringing in additional air mobile troops with supporting heavy weapons by air, mostly flying during heavy overcast days to minimize the threat of enemy air interception.

“The Japanese are bringing in reinforcements from Hokkaido,” said Tyrenkov.

“As we expected.”

“It isn’t much, just one more additional regiment.”

“That should not prove difficult to overcome, but I’ll want a full division in Northern Sakhalin before we make our push. And don’t forget that we have to seize Lazarev on the mainland, and the mouth of the Amur River. That waterway is our route inland in the north. In the south, I’m still pinning my hopes on the planning for the Chikhacheva Bay operation. Once we push as far south as Aleksandrovsk, the time will be ripe for that. It will be quite easy to move west into Primorskiy Province from there, and then we can follow the Amur River for the real offensive push to Khabarovsk. I want to try and get there by July, and clear all of Sakhalin Island as well. Then we plan the Vladivostok operation. For now, I must turn my attention to breaking the back of the Japanese Navy, which should be accomplished in due course.”

Karpov was very pleased with himself, a smug confidence being the outward cloak his darkened soul wore each day. His muse seemed very well reasoned, very logical and precise. But he was very wrong, at least about the battle of Midway. And he would soon find out that the artful stratagem of surprise could be used against him as well.

Chapter 18

Another man was thinking about Midway, sitting in a cellar deep beneath the administration room at Pearl Harbor. The building above had been gutted by fire, but the cellar housing Station HYPO had survived. In the last three months the rubble had been cleared, new construction started, and it was nearly complete. Yet all the while, the station, a branch of OP-20-G Naval Intelligence section in Washington DC, had continued to operate. Their mission was signals intelligence and decryption, and they had some very talented minds there, including one Lieutenant Commander Joseph Rochefort, who had joined the Navy while still in high school in 1918. A man with a complex mind, much like Alan Turing, Rochefort delighted in solving crossword puzzles, or analyzing the possibilities of card games, particularly bridge. It was the kind of mind that was tailor made for code breaking, and that is what Rochefort did.

Station HYPO, sometimes called Fleet Radio Unit Pacific (FRUPAC), had a sister station labeled FRUMEL in Melbourne, and together they had been listening… listening…. All the real decryption work was piling up at those two sites now, as Hong Kong was gone, along with Batavia, and Corregidor. They took the burden, and worked hard, and had some real success in breaking the Japanese JN-25B naval code. Now it was telling them some very dangerous things.

Orders were afoot, signals traffic up all across the bands, and ships were on the move. This made for late hours and long shifts at HYPO, but slowly, a rather ominous picture was being painted by the signals traffic. Lieutenant Commander Jasper Holmes had been very methodical, working from the assumption that something was up for the Central Pacific. The Americans had learned that the movement and deployment of the Japanese carriers was the first thing to look for, and they had clearly identified a carrier with a name ending in “kaku” ordered to Truk. Only two ships had that suffix, and they were both in the same Carrier Division, Number 5, Japan’s newest and most modern carriers.

Holmes came up to Rochefort’s desk, the green eye shades the men used to protect their eyes from the endless overhead fluorescent lighting now perched high on his forehead. He had caught a few hours sleep on a cot by the wall, then was up early to see if anything new had come in. He was very pleasantly surprised. Rochefort was sitting behind a wall of stacked file folders and reports, half way through a cup of coffee. A veil of pipe smoke always seemed to surround his desk, like fog hugging the ragged shore of some isolated Pacific island.

“If Div Five has moved to Truk,” said Rochefort, “what makes you think they’re heading for the Central Pacific?”

“Truk is the center of the wheel,” said Holmes. “From there they could head south into the Solomons, or southwest towards the Coral Sea. There are good objectives there. We know they want Port Moresby. That’s why Fletcher has Saratoga and Yorktown off Fiji right now, ready to move west into the Coral Sea. They could save him the trouble and also head right for Fiji from Truk, and that has a lot of folks worried. So I decided to play a little game.”

“A game?”

“Right. We know the call names of several objectives, so I put out some traffic on the radio last week, just an innocuous little laundry list of maintenance trouble, and I sent it in the clear. I had the report say they had trouble with the water condenser on Midway, and needed lubricating oil for a crane at Suva Bay—two nice fat objectives the Japs might be eyeing now. And guess what. We picked up a message just yesterday. The Japs took my bait, hook, line, and sinker!” His smile drove the weariness from the lines of his face.

“What do you mean?”

“A.F. sir, that was one of the call signs attached to an objective point. We picked up a message repeating that A.F. had trouble with its water condenser. I decoded it myself. So A.F. has to be Midway, and by elimination, we figured out what Fiji must be. No action there, but everything else seems to be pointing to Midway. We even picked up movement order for fleet unit 8 O K.I. We know what that is sir, because the Japs always pair sister ships, and 9 O K.I. was clearly ordered to Kwajalein right after the attack on Pearl. That was Kaga, the ship Halsey busted up in that first engagement. So 8 O K.I. has to be the Akagi, and they want it ready for a move to support the operations for A.F—for Midway.” He folded his arms, a smug look of satisfaction on his face.

“Midway,” said Rochefort. “Why the Central Pacific?”

“Unfinished business,” said Holmes. “If they can knock off Midway, then we lose that important watch on all that turf out there.”

“Or maybe something else,” said Rochefort. “Know thine enemy, Holmes. We know Yamamoto has been wanting to lock horns with our carriers for some time. That’s his guiding principle—seek out a decisive engagement. That’s why he hit us at Pearl.”

“Right. Well I think they’re going to sortie into the central Pacific, and take a pot shot at Midway. They know Halsey has been nipping at the Marianas, and that stunt Doolittle pulled off must have reddened quite a few faces in the navy over there. If they had Midway, they could put seaplanes there and we would have never been able to pull that raid off. It’s a big blind spot for them out there, and possession of Midway solves that problem nicely.”

“How sure are you about this?”

“Well, we’ve also got Nagumo’s call sign—that was 8 E YU, before they changed it to 8 YU NA. We have sixteen readings where that call sign is paired with the 8 O K.I. for the Akagi. So that has to be the flagship for this operation, and they’re moving it to Truk to link up with Carrier Division 5. That’ll give them at least three big flattops ready to move in five days. And there’s more, we’ve got the handle for one of their fleet replenishment ships, Kyukuto Maru. It’s the flagship for the tanker fleet. It’s got orders to proceed to support this operation A.F. too.”

“Have you run this by anyone else?”

“Rear Admiral Layton, and he thinks it’s good. He wanted me to get this to you right away.”

“What about Tommy Dyer?”

“I’ll get to him next. I wanted you to see this first hand.”

Rochefort thought for a moment. “Let me look over those traffic decrypts. A lot is riding on this, and we need to get our ducks lined up perfectly. Did you put these latest ship movements up on the big board yet?”

Holmes was in charge of tracking all ship movements, and he had rigged out a large plotting board on the wall where he would update positions on all the key players in this complex game of chess in the Pacific.

“Find anything else we’ve got on A.F. See if you can cross reference anything. I think the file is under that box there.” Rochefort pointed to a clutter of boxes and stacks of paperwork surrounding one of the other desks like a coral reef. Each man sat on his private little island, with mountains of file folders and jungles of paperwork. They never did set up any proper filing system, but there was a hidden order to the apparent chaos, and just like that, Rochefort could point to a box on the floor and know the A.F. ship track file was tucked away beneath it. Many of the men there had near photographic memory for things like that. To them the clutter was like a road map or navigation chart, and they could read it unerringly.

“So you figure this is what they called off the Indian Ocean thing for?” Rochefort scratched his head.

“They had 5th Carrier Division all set to move that way after Java, but then that volcano popped off and that was that.”

“I don’t blame them,” said Rochefort. He leaned back, taking a short drag on his pipe.

“Sir,” said Holmes. “We know what they want. It’s either Milne Bay and Moresby in the Coral Sea, the lower Solomons—probably the anchorage at Tulagi, and then something big has been in the works after that, and for a good long while.”

“Right,” said Rochefort. “Marines are already working up plans for Tulagi. But these carrier movements are another thing altogether. You figure they’d move with only three?”

“I’m watching the light stuff too, sir. I’ve got a line on Zuiho, Shoho, and Ryujo—that’s the CVE they used in the Sumatra-Java invasion. They pulled that ship east to Rabaul, and whatever was left of that covering force off Java. Everything is shifting that way, and the buildup at Truk is looking pretty mean.”

“Nothing on Fiji?”

“Not a peep. Not a whisper. That would be a third or fourth down objective for any drive they run now.”

“Alright. Get me the intercepts. I want to look things over before we go to Nimitz with this, but we’ll have to move soon. Enterprise and Hornet made it back to Pearl, and they’ll have to get to sea fast if you’re right about this.”

“Leave it to me sir!” Holmes snapped off a quick salute and then hurried off through the archipelago of desks and file boxes, destination unknown.

Rochefort settled back in his chair, his eye on a map. Big Five was already at Truk with Zuikaku and Shokaku. Now Nagumo was shipping in on the Akagi, and with the number one fleet tanker in the mix. Yamato was at Davao, and coast watchers there said there was quite a show put on there—something about rockets being fired off. Probably flares or signal rockets, he thought. You had to be careful with some of these native coastwatcher types. You’d get in a report that sounded crazy at first—a large bird reportedly landing on a ship at sea, which immediately sunk from the heavy weight. That nonsense soon became the landing of a seaplane rendezvousing with a Japanese submarine, which then submerged.

Well, we thought Yamato was heading home, but that ship turned for Truk last week as well. Holmes says the Japs fell for his little ruse hook, line and sinker, but who’s the real fisherman here? Yamamoto doesn’t fool around when it comes to big ship movements like this. I’ll tell you what, there are two types of fisherman—those who fish for sport, and those who fish for fish. Yamamoto is looking to land something real big here. Yes, something is up… something real big.

Part VII

Developments

“I have added these principles to the law of chess: get the Knights into action before both Bishops are developed.”

― Emanuel Lasker

Chapter 19

Warrant Flying Officer Nobuo Fujita had been a very busy man of late, rightfully claiming the undisputed title of Kantai no me, the ‘Eyes of the Fleet.’ He was first called ‘the other Fujita,’ though he was no relation to the now famous Mitsuo Fujita who led the attack at Pearl Harbor. Nobuo had been in on that operation, assigned as the float plane pilot for the submarine I-25, though he had been disappointed when his plane failed to start on the eve of that momentous day. So only one Fujita claimed any laurels on the opening day of the war, but the other Fujita had been feverishly busy ever since, as if he was out to write his name in the history of these events, come what may.

The I-25 was a curious boat, with a canopy that enclosed a watertight “hangar” of sorts just forward of the conning tower. It was just big enough to house a slightly disassembled Yokosuka E14Y float plane, which was mainly used at night for search and reconnaissance operations. The sub would lurk submerged by day, creeping about at the sedate speed of eight or nine knots, but after sunset, it could surface and speed off at up to 23 knots to perform its primary role as a fleet scouting unit.

After the disappointment of Pearl Harbor, the sub tussled with shipping off the coast of Oregon before returning to Kwajalein. Then, on its second wartime patrol, it was sent to the deep South Pacific to take a look at the buildup that might be underway in Allied controlled ports. Fujita had brazenly scouted Sidney, Melbourne, Hobart, and then I-25 cruised over to have a look at New Zealand. There he carefully noted the buildup of troops arriving at Wellington and Aukland, some of the first ports to receive the new arrivals from the United States. Word then came that one final stop was to be added to the mission—Fiji.

Out on the exposed deck just after sunset, he worked with two other men to quickly get the wings mounted properly, and check the undercarriage. The engine had been running smoothly in all these recon operations, and he had every hope that his mission over Suva Bay would be routine. At that time, Fujita did not know of the big operation planned for Fiji. The stratospheric clouds of high level strategy seldom rained on his pay grade. He was simply out to conduct one of his stealthy night recon sweeps, and see what the Allies might have cooking in the harbor there.

What he saw instead that night came as quite an unexpected surprise. He had been drifting through a roll of low clouds, emerging over a wide swath of moonlit water, when he clearly saw the dark shapes of ships off his three o’clock heading. And these were not just any ships, the long flat decks and characteristic island superstructures immediately told him they were aircraft carriers—two of them, surrounded by several cruiser class ships and a gaggle of destroyers.

Nobuo Fujita had just spotted TF-11 under Admiral Fletcher, and the two carriers he was eyeing were the Yorktown and Saratoga. The latter was not yet present in Fedorov’s history. Its sister ship, the Lexington, would have taken this watch, but that ship was already deep in Davey Jones Locker. Fletcher had come in with the Yorktown as TF-17, and Saratoga was in TF-11, but now, after refueling from tankers on site, both TFs were about to unite into one battlegroup—Taffy 11.

Fujita got quite an eyeful that night, lingering just long enough to take careful note of probable ship types. He counted two carriers, at least seven cruisers, and eight destroyers before sliding away into those clouds, grateful they were there to mask his retreat to the I-25. The signal he would sent out that day would bounce from that sub, to the 4th Fleet Headquarters in Rabaul, and then to Combined Fleet Headquarters in Truk. The American carriers had been found, and Fujita had the first real feather of the war in his cap as he walked in his namesake’s shadow.

He would later do one more thing that would get him some ink in the ledger of these events. Operating off the US coast in a later patrol, Fujita would fly deep into the Cascades of Oregon, and drop a pair of incendiary bombs with the intention of starting a forest fire. That plan would fail, though the bombing raid itself would be the first, and perhaps the last aerial raid ever mounted on the Continental United States during the war. That distinction would go to Nobuo Fujita, but in the overall scheme of things, the sighting he had just made would weigh far heavier on the scales of time and fate, and for a very odd reason. A Warrant Officer on a sub that had been at sea for over a month might be one of the last people in the long chain of command to get notice of things like the order to move to Naval Code Book C, effective April 10, 1942. They didn’t have a copy of that new book yet on the I-25, so the signal Fujita would send went out using the old code, Book B.

* * *

It was a full 48 hours later before Yamamoto actually was informed of the sighting. Admiral Ugaki came in, somewhat breathless from the long climb up four decks into Yamato’s high conning section. The fleet had been assembling at Truk, with Carrier Division 5 reporting three days ago, refueling, and then immediately putting out to sea again for the first phase of the operation. Today the arrival of the newly refitted Akagi would complete the strike forces available in theater. Kaga was still back in Japan, her damage heavier than the minor hit on the Akagi, so that ship would sit the battle out in the shipyards. Tosa was to have also joined the fleet at Truk, but Admiral Nagano had been worried about the Siberians, so it was retained in home waters as well. This left four fleet carriers, and three more lighter escort carriers available for Operation FS.

“Admiral, we have a sighting report off submarine I-25. The American carriers have been spotted south of Fiji!”

Yamamoto looked up from his desk, clearly interested. “How many carriers?”

“Two definite, with a strong escort of cruisers and destroyers. It was a night sighting, so there was no word as to ship ID on the carriers.”

“That does not matter. When was the sighting made?”

“I’m afraid that’s the problem. The report is already nearly 48 hours old. It was sent from the I-25 using Code Book B, but someone had the presence of mind to find and use Book C at Rabaul when they passed it on here.”

Yamamoto considered that. “Even at only 18 knots,” he said, “this task force could be over 800 nautical miles from the reported sighting location. And while it is understandable that our submarine might not yet have the updated code books, the fact that this signal was sent in a version we know has been compromised also presents a problem. The Americans may have intercepted it, and in that case, they would know we spotted them.”

“Perhaps they are forming to oppose Operation MO,” said Ugaki.” That was Phase One of the overall Operation FS, the Port Moresby Operation. “If there is any part of our planning they might be privy to, it would be this opening move towards Port Moresby.”

“In that case,” said Yamamoto, “these carriers could have moved 800 miles west by now, right into the Coral Sea. It will be necessary to make certain Admiral Inoue has alerted Carrier Division 5. They should be entering the Coral Sea as we speak.”

“They will be more than capable of handling the situation,” said Ugaki.

“Perhaps, but here we sit with the FS Invasion group, and the newest addition to our fleet out there in the lagoon. It was my hope that Takami would be present for any engagement with the Americans. Then we might actually see if this ship can do all that it promises.”

“The Sakaguchi Detachment is ready to board transports for Noumea. We could take the fleet out in support of that mission, and it might get us into this fight,” said Ugaki, an eager light in his eye. “After we deliver our charge to Noumea, we would also be in a good position to move north when 48th Division is formed up and ready to move on Fiji. Hopefully, this business in the Coral Sea will have concluded before that, and we can proceed with the main operation.”

Yamamoto nodded, but he was not so confident. It was as if he could feel the impending shadow that fell on Japanese Naval operations at this time. The brief hour he had spent in that library aboard Takami had been very sobering.

We wanted Port Moresby, and they stopped us, he thought. I wanted Midway, and they crushed us there. We wanted Tulagi and Guadalcanal, and they took hold of us by the throat and did not let go until our breath was cut off and the last starving remnants of our forces there made that ignominious withdrawal. Three battles, three defeats, not to mention the little incident at Milne Bay, where we were stopped yet again, this time by the Australians.

Up until now, we have been virtually invincible. Yet this battle that could soon be joined in the Coral Sea begins to take on the eerie tinge of that shadow. Carrier Division 5 is alone to face two American Carriers.

“Don’t you see what is happening here?” he said with an edge of warning. “This is the battle that truculent officer spoke of in the Coral Sea. Here I sit with Akagi, and Soryu, ready to cover the movement of our support convoy to Noumea, but too far north to get into this fight. Zuiho, and Shoho are in the Shortlands supporting the Tulagi Operation, and then they were to stand as close support for the MO operation. Ryujo will be sent towards Midway as part of the ruse we have planned. Where might the other American carriers be now? This Lieutenant Commander Fukada tells me they will be no closer than Midway, at least according to what he knows.”

“Yet can I trust the shadows of these events as they were written up in those books? They have already told me things here are different from the history they claim to know. How very strange all this is now. I have decided there will be no battle of Midway this spring. So what does that mean for the remainder of the history chronicled in that library. It becomes no more than a fiction, while I sit here, about to rewrite all the events yet to come in this war. How very strange….”

“That sighting report is very stale and, if it was intercepted, the Americans will be aware that they have been located. So where would they go? That will depend on how much they really know about our operational planning. Something tells me they know about Operation MO, but do they also know of our planned move against Fiji? Our planned reinforcement of Noumea? Both operations would seem easy enough to predict.”

“There is one other thing,” said Ugaki. “Due to the presence of those carriers, the seaplane off I-25 was unable to proceed to Suva Bay as planned. So we do not have a current update on the enemy strength there. Therefore, the Army believes it is advisable to move at least two regiments of the 48th Division to Fiji in the first wave instead of only one.”

“Are they ready at Rabaul?”

“Abe’s 47th Regiment and Tanaka’s 2nd Formosa Regiment are already there. It is only a question of arranging shipping, as the transports that delivered Tanaka must return to Java for the 1st Formosa Regiment. We will have enough at Rabaul to lift one regiment as planned. The Abe detachment was scheduled to board tonight. However, I must communicate with 17th Army Headquarters to see what the requirements are to lift a second regiment.”

Yamamoto scratched his eyebrow, breathing deeply. “This operation is scheduled to begin tomorrow, and suddenly the Army changes its mind, and here we are scrambling for adequate shipping.”

“The losses off Java contributed to that,” said Ugaki. “Over a dozen transports were lost in the eruption and subsequent tsunami. We are moving additional shipping down from the Philippines, but it will take a few days. Considering that, I have an alternate plan. Should there be any delay in getting additional shipping to Rabaul, we can merely substitute the Sakaguchi detachment for that second regiment. It is here in Truk, and already scheduled for the run to Noumea. Then, as shipping becomes available, the Tanaka Detachment of the 48th Division can go to Noumea in place of Sakaguchi’s troops.”

“Will the Army agree to that?”

“This is what I will discuss with 17th Army Headquarters.”

“All these plans,” said Yamamoto. “We string them out like webs, but where is the spider I-25 spotted nearly two days ago? Soon we will have the bulk of all our available troops in theater at sea, and we do not know where those two carriers went, or even if they might remain in the waters near Fiji. If so, then we may wish to combine both 2nd and 5th Carrier Divisions before we move east.”

“A wise precaution,” said Ugaki.

“But yet we do not know if 5th Carrier Division might be engaged if the Americans do challenge Operation MO.”

“Sir, we have Takami. If their claims can be believed, then their radar and sonar should be able to locate these enemy carriers if they remain anywhere near the Fiji Islands. In my judgment, it should be safe to proceed to Fiji with the 2nd Carrier Division alone.”

“One minute you tell me it would be wise to combine our fleet carrier divisions. in the next you tell me we should leave them operating as separate groups. Admiral, which is it?”

“That is a question I might best answer in another 48 hours. By that time, the MO operation will be well underway. If the Americans have moved west to attempt to oppose us there, we should know that soon. And sir, if that is the case, then we could cover the Fiji invasion transports with a close support group build around Zuiho and Shoho in the Shortlands. That would leave our 2nd Carrier Division free to swing south behind the American carriers.”

“I see you have considered every eventuality,” said Yamamoto, “but battle has a way of creating circumstances that may not be easily remedied. Very well, if the Army agrees, then we will order the Sakaguchi Regiment to board transports tonight as well. It will support the Fiji landings as you suggest, and Tanaka’s troops can reinforce Noumea later.”

Ugaki proffered a shallow bow, and was off to see to his business with the 17th Army. Yet the unsettled nature of all these last minute developments left Yamamoto feeling a thrum of anxiety. That shadow… the loss of nerve in the attempt to take Port Moresby… that unexpected defeat of not two, but all four fleet carriers I might have sent to attack Midway…. Will the Americans take the bait we have cast into the sea regarding that objective? Where are the rest of their carriers? And what about Guadalcanal? According to those books, that is where the Americans will strike us first. Can I believe that, or is this history destined to spin off in another direction? My decisions may have everything to do with answering that, but here I sit, with knowledge that I might never have had otherwise, and I can see now that it acts as much as a poison in the brew of my deliberations as anything else.

That officer on the Takami made it all sound so certain. He would simply destroy the American carrier aircraft, and that would be that. But to do that we must first find those carriers, not only the two birds we had in hand a few days ago, but also the remainder of their mobile forces. How quickly could they turn them around and get them back out to sea? This is where our ruse in putting out all that radio traffic concerning Midway may be the key factor. If they believe it, then those remaining carriers might stay well out in the Central Pacific. In that instance, the Coral Sea is ours.

Chapter 20

Nobuo Fujita had discovered a glittering prize beneath him on the night of April 4th, 1942, but what he had failed to see was the rapid buildup of Allied forces on the primary objective of Yamamoto’s plan. All through the early months of the war, beginning with the Pensacola Convoy, there had been a steady flow of troopships and convoys departing from New York, San Francisco and San Diego. Ships like the Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, Monterey, Hammondsport, and Matsonia brought elements of the 32nd and 23rd Divisions, along with coastal defense battalions, AA regiments, and pursuit squadrons with crated P-39 and P-40 fighters.

Fiji was the closest friendly port to Australia, presently garrisoned by two Brigades of infantry from New Zealand, and a battalion of Fiji Commandos raised from native troops. These troops had been busy improving defenses, port facilities and extending runways on the airfields to accommodate the new tenants soon to arrive from America. The Pensacola Convoy was the first, diverted there briefly before continuing on to Australia. The next major force to come would have been designated “Poppy Force,” as Poppy was the US codename for New Caledonia. It would have carried elements that became the “Americal Division,” as that name was created by calling the unit the “American New Caledonian Division,” where it was to be posted. But in this telling of events, those troops were now being called Fantan Force, as this was the US codename for “Fortress Fiji.”

Fantan Force would see the delivery of the 132nd, 164th and 182nd Infantry Regiments, along with a patchwork of other artillery, engineer and AA units, all under the command of Brigadier General Alexander M. Patch. This odd basket of forces was soon quilted together to form a division that would get a new nickname this time around, the “Pacifica Division,” but among army regulars on the scene the unit was simply called “Patch Force.”

It was a haphazard affair, with units originating in different ports, and some showing up at the wharves without properly crating their heavy equipment. Clueless stevedores stared slack jawed at an AA regiment that arrived with all its weapons mounted and being towed by trucks. No one had told them it all had to be crated, and even if it had been, the fine art of combat loading had not yet dawned in the minds of the inexperienced cargo handling crews. So the ships would be loaded in a real jumble of crates and bins, and it was sheer chance if a unit would arrive to find any of its heavy weapons available upon landing. This was going to hamper unit effectiveness, but the sheer mass of men and equipment arriving at Suva Bay would be something the enemy had not anticipated.

The Japanese Army planners had been wise to double down on the first wave of their planned invasion of Fiji, because they were going to face some very steep odds. Even though Patch Force would be a relatively green force, fresh off the boat, it would be a full division, strongly reinforcing the two Kiwi Brigades already on the island. Those troops were scheduled to go home, but as fate would have it, the shipping was not available to move them this early. So the Japanese troops assigned to Operation FS would be outnumbered nearly three to one.

Marine units had also been assigned for Fiji, but they had been diverted to American Samoa. There, on the island of Tutuila, the US possessed one of the largest natural harbors in the Pacific at Pago Pago, which was a collapsed volcanic caldera surrounded by steep ridges that rose to lofty peaks, which the US service troops called the “Rainmaker Mountains.” The first Marine units were settling in, a Raider Battalion and a specially trained Parachute Battalion. They were awaiting stronger forces from the US, which would include the entire 1st Marine Division, four regiments strong, and reinforced by an additional regiment of the 2nd Marine Division.

Far from being a hastily mounted defensive unit to garrison these valuable island outposts, the Marines would become America’s shock troops, there to spearhead planned counteroffensives that were already being spawned in the minds of Nimitz and MacArthur. When they did come, the transports would see them loaded for bear, and planning to mount an immediate amphibious offensive. That had happened in August of 1942 in the old history, and it remained to be seen whether Vandegrift’s Marines would play a part in the drama that was about to unfold.

In Fedorov’s history, they had shipped out of Oakland on the West Coast, all bound for New Zealand, with the exception of the 7th Regiment, which would go to Pago Pago. Once in those ports, they would off load, then reload for combat operations before sailing to Fiji to rendezvous with other division elements arriving from different local ports. Yet the entire sector around Fiji was soon about to become an active combat zone, so these plans would all be drastically affected. Operation FS was going to place powerful Japanese naval forces right astride all the shipping lanes the Allies used to prepare for their first offensive operations. Instead, they were about to be thrown onto the defense in the final act of Japan’s whirlwind offensive to the south.

Yamamoto’s deliberations were very well considered, but the ruse the Japanese had planned regarding Midway would end up causing them trouble. Convinced that they had identified Midway with the code handle A.F., the Americans took the threat very seriously.

* * *

With the Halsey group just back from the Doolittle Raid, this meant they now had every reason to quickly replenish and sortie those carriers for possible action near Midway—and this is what they did. Nimitz told Halsey that he was convinced the information coming out of HYPO was accurate.

“We’ve got them by the scruff of the neck now,” he said. “So you get Enterprise and Hornet turned around and out to sea as soon as possible. Midway will be scouring the seas with every search plane we can give them.”

“What about the Coral Sea Operation?” Halsey had also been briefed on the other intelligence they had concerning a planned enemy invasion of Port Moresby.”

“Fletcher had Saratoga and Yorktown south of Fiji two days ago,” said Nimitz. The snowy haired Admiral seemed tired, as though he had been up through many long nights of late, but there was still the light of battle in his eyes. “To be honest, I strongly considered reining Fletcher in and keeping him posted right there near Fiji. Port Moresby is just to exposed. The Japanese have the entire north east coast of New Guinea, and they’ve moved fighters to Lae. They can hit Moresby from Rabaul with their bombers, and the damn place is effectively deep in the enemy camp. The Bismarck Archipelago and their airfields make that approach impossible, and now that they’ve moved into the Solomons, it’s as if they have a big wall built around the Coral sea.”

“Aw hell,” said Halsey in no uncertain terms. “It may look that way on a map, but that wall is paper thin. The same goes for their positions in the Marshalls and Gilberts. They moved in a few garrison companies, but there’s no significant air presence there now. All they have in the New Hebrides is Noumea, and for my money I’d sent Fletcher in to bust that place up.”

“Well,” said Nimitz. “Like I said, I almost pulled his chain, but I changed my mind. Moresby is too damn valuable to just let the Japs come in and take the place. If they do that, then getting up around Cape York to Darwin will be a very hazardous journey. That would mean Darwin might only be reached by sea from Perth, and even those convoys could be interdicted if the enemy builds up at Koepang on Timor. Otherwise, it’s a pretty long haul across the outback to get anything to Darwin by land. So I sent Fletcher west two days ago, though I told him to give Noumea a pass. I want to keep this movement under wraps for as long as possible.”

“Good enough,” said Halsey. “Then you damn well won’t want me sitting on my thumbs up near Midway. I say we get serious here, and take it right to the other fellow—show them we can still fight. I want to take Enterprise and Hornet right through the Marshalls and say hello along the way.”

“You’ll be spotted for sure if you do that.”

“Exactly right. Look Admiral, they’ve got something cooking, and its bigger than this Operation MO against Moresby. Hell, I’m no code and cypher man, but I can smell it. You said yourself that they’re already moving into the Solomons. That’s just as important as Moresby. If we let them get dug in there, and get airfields up and running, then that wall you spoke of earlier toughens up considerably. For now, I could punch right through it on my way to the Solomon Sea, and I’ll knock a few heads together in the Marshalls before I get there.”

“Don’t forget Truk,” Nimitz warned. “HYPO says they have good confidence that a fourth carrier slipped in there four days ago from Japan—the Akagi. That was Nagumo’s flag when they hit us at Pearl.”

“I’ve made the acquaintance,” said Halsey sourly. “So all the better. It’s time we settled the score for Pearl. I say we go right after them—sail right through their turf and raise hell. Sure, they’ll know we’re coming, and if they want to do anything about it, then bring it on.”

Nimitz gave him a long look. He had already turned Fletcher loose with orders to get up to Moresby and hit the enemy any way he could. Now he had Halsey here, chafing at the bit to get into the fight. It was going to be dangerous—risky. His carriers would be operating independently, well out of supporting range of one another. Yet if Halsey was quick enough, the two groups would be like the horns of a bull, Fletcher in the south, Halsey coming right through the Solomons, and both converging on the heart of this Operation MO.

“What if HYPO is correct and those carriers at Truk left for Midway yesterday?” He gave Halsey a searching look.

“Unless they swing well west of Wake Island I’ll find the bastards on my way to the Marshalls.”

“That’s what I’m worried about. We know they had the 5th Carrier Division at Truk last week. Now they’ve added two more fleet carriers. You know how they like to operate. They hit us with everything they had at Pearl, so what if you run into all four of those enemy carriers. You’d be outnumbered two to one.”

“Hell that doesn’t mean a thing. I was outnumbered three to one at Pearl and I still went after them there.”

“And we lost Lexington…” Nimitz didn’t mean for that to come out as it did, and he was quick to say so. “Look Bull, you did what you could at Pearl, and thank god we hurt them too—put two of their carriers in dry-dock, and that counted for a lot. But we can’t trade the Japs carrier for carrier now—not yet. I’ve had to move mountains to get hold of the Wasp and it’s due in at Pearl today.”

“Good,” said Halsey. “Sent it to Midway—and send me to shake things up down there, because those flattops could have just as easily moved south from Truk. We have no hard evidence aside from signals traffic that they’re coming for Midway.”

“HYPO says they got a good signal decode on orders for one of their light carriers to head that way—Ryujo. It could be the tip of the spear.”

“All the more reason to turn me loose. Let me get down there and see what they really have cooking.”

“And if they do swing around Wake and come at Midway from the northwest?”

“Admiral, there’s a rudder on every one of my ships out there. You tell me Yamamoto is heading for Midway and I’ll turn on a dime. With Wasp in the equation the odds will look just a good deal better, won’t they. But until we know more than this business concerning A.F., I think we should take the initiative. You sent Fletcher—now send me.”

“Alright,” said Nimitz. “Have at ‘em. What do you propose?”

“I’m going to ring the doorbell in the Marshalls—take the fight to them before they can do the same to us. If they are heading east, then it’s because they want to mix it up with our carriers. Midway does them very little good, and we’ve made the place a pretty tough nut to crack out there. I say let them come. I’ll hit their bases in the Marshalls, and that includes Kwajalein, and from their I’ll be in a perfect position to either hit Truk or swing down into the Solomons and bust up that seaplane base they’re setting up at Tulagi. I plan on moving fast, and hitting hard. Woe betide anyone who sticks his nose in my business.”

Nimitz smiled. “Admiral,” he said with a grin. “You’ve got your marching orders. We’ll be in contact when you get down south and see if we can coordinate with Fletcher. Until then, you do exactly what you just said—and hit them hard.”

Halsey nodded. “What are you going to tell the boys over at HYPO?”

“That I sent you out to look for a fresh water condenser.” Nimitz smiled.

* * *

Halsey would not fail to make good on his boast. He had Enterprise and Hornet riled up and running southwest that very day, the crews still exuberant from their daring Doolittle Raid. Now they were out to hit the enemy again, this time in the Marshalls. The Japanese had put out tentative feelers there from their primary base at Kwajalein, and sent small garrisons to Wotje, Maloelap, and Eniwetok, and they were also looking over Tarawa atoll. Halsey intended to visit a few of these island outposts and ‘ring the doorbell’ as he had put it to Nimitz, while giving his pilots and planes a tune-up in the process.

The first island to feel his bite was Wotje, which was bombed and strafed, shaking up the small detachment there and setting back their plans for an airstrip considerably. But Yamamoto had a sixth sense about the Americans. He wasn’t sure that they would believe the Midway ruse, and knew that they had been making a determined effort to move troops and supplies to Australia and other nearby bases. So he ordered a pair of watchdogs to move east from Truk to sniff out the main enemy line of communications. The small hybrid scout carriers Gozo and Mezu were tagged for the job, and they were now sailing right into the thick of the storm Halsey was bringing, his eyes dark and hard beneath those heavy bristling brows, his ceaseless energy driving hard through a light grey rain in the early morning hours of April 8th, 1942.

Chapter 21

While Nimitz and Halsey were steeling up for action, the Japanese offensive was already in motion. The 144th Regiment, now designated the South Seas Detachment, had boarded transports at a very busy and crowded harbor at Rabaul. Soon they were out into St George’s Channel and around Cape Gazelle, heading for the Solomon Sea, but they were about to meet unexpected company. The Japanese had sent a group of four destroyers ahead of the invasion group to sweep that channel, but they missed something, an undetected US Submarine, S-47, lying in wait to make a bold attack.

The boat was on station, operating out of Brisbane with SubDiv 53, and a little earlier than the old history. In that story, she had trouble with a faulty firing circuit on her number four tube, passed some tense moments being hunted by destroyers and minesweepers, got off a plaintive shot at a lone transport, which rubbed salt in the wound after it missed. The steamer simply turned about and came right at the sub, forcing the boat to dive deep. By the time they got back up to have a look around, the transport had run off, leaving a frustrated Captain and crew, with no hits, and no laurels on their first wartime patrol.

Things would be different this time around, and strangely so. S-47 had been missed in the ASW sweep, and there, right before her hungry nose, came a line of doddering transports. Four torpedoes were fired in a nice spread, and as fate would have it, the number four fish would strike home. The firing circuit had stubbornly refused to fail in this history, and that tiny little component in an old sub laid down in 1921, was going to open the hostilities and draw first blood.

It was the troop transport Aso Maru that was in the line of fate that day, and the troops she was carrying were a rather elite bunch, the Kure 4th SNLF Battalion, assigned to make the first shock attack over the beaches at Port Moresby. They were going to be very late. That number four torpedo blasted into the side of the transport, and within minutes she was shipping water and foundering in the grey dawn. The escorting destroyers were quick on the scene, but old S-47 had taken her bite, and dove deep to lie low. By the time the boat surfaced again, the rest of the convoy had moved on, but Aso Maru wasn’t going to make it to Port Moresby, diverting to Gasmata instead, with a chance the hapless ship might not even make that port safely.

Captain James White Davis could see the oil slick, a tempting path to follow to see if he might finish off his prey. But he could also see the smoke from destroyer stacks on that same horizon, and being a careful man, he elected to continue his hunt elsewhere. The finicky circuit was going to matter in spite of that, for the 4th Kure SNLF would not make it to the invasion site. Word was quickly sent to Rabaul that they were trying to reach Gasmata, but there would be no transport there for the unit to continue the operation. So the Japanese were quickly casting off lines on two more transports, with orders to get to Rabaul with all speed.

Once the convoy rounded the cape near Milne bay and entered the Coral Sea, the Japanese plan called for the Nells based at Rabaul to shed their normal torpedo armament and take on bombs to get out after the airstrip at Port Moresby. The light carriers Zuiho and Shoho would also move in to assume their close air support role, the aim being to prevent any use of that field for Allied aircraft to molest the invasion force. Major General Horii of the South Seas Detachment was already missing his naval shock troops for the planned landing, and now he was quickly briefing his officers to prepare for the attack.

The Japanese had little to fear from Allied air power at Port Moresby. There were just a few Wirraway fighters there, waiting to take a regular pounding with a morning raid by those Nells, and then an afternoon follow-up off the two light carriers. The name of the fighter came from an Aboriginal word that meant ‘Challenge’, but there was little the Wirraways could do when the A6-M2 Zeros showed up. It was basically good for an all purpose trainer, but had no business in a fight with the nimble and deadly Japanese fighters. It was even outclassed by the older A5-M1 Claudes flying off Zuiho, and that was a fairly fitting condemnation.

When dawn came on the 8th of April, the Japanese would see their invasion convoy floating paravanes off the coral reefs of Port Moresby, something that had never happened in Fedorov’s history books. Fletcher had been steaming west around Noumea, wary of the Japanese air squadrons posted there, and he was not going to reach the scene of the battle in time to stumble into what was once chronicled as the first Carrier to carrier duel of the war—the Battle of the Coral Sea. In this history, carriers had already fought each other near the Hawaiian Islands, and a second time in the New Hebrides. Coral Sea would not be fought as it once was, but better late than never, Fletcher was still on his way—and so was Bull Halsey.

TF-16 had come barreling south into the Marianas, and true to his word, Halsey had stomped on the airfield at Wotje. He was about to mount a strike against Kwajalein when Scouting 6 reported what looked like a pair of small escort carriers south near Maloelap. They were, in fact, the two hybrid scout carriers, old converted cruisers with 8-inch guns forward and a small flight deck aft for one squadron of 12 planes.

The Japanese had chosen to put 12 Zeroes on the Gozo, and Mezu was following with 12 Kate Torpedo planes. Half of the fighters were up, and three of the B5Ns were out on patrol, but they were looking in the wrong direction. Ordered to scout the primary line of communications further east, that was what Captain Sujima on the Mezu was doing. Unfortunately, Halsey was well north of his position, approaching Rongelap in the Marshalls. Both Enterprise and Hornet had planes spotted and ready for action against the fledgling Japanese base at Maloelap when that sighting report came in: two carriers, one destroyer, course 090 East, 40 miles north of Maloelap.

That was all Wade McClusky needed to hear. The word “carriers” resonated with both danger and excitement, and the Enterprise Group was quick of the deck that morning, and heading south. The six fighters of GI-Choitai-Gozo would put up a brave fight, six zeroes against 15 Wildcats escorting that strike. Pilot Warrant Officers Matsumura and Murakami would each get a kill in the fighter dual, and Murakami would slide off to make a good pass at the incoming Dauntless Dive bomber group, putting one down for the count.

Donald Runyon of VF-6 got behind one Zero and drilled it, sending the plane down with a long arc of smoke, and Flight Leader Jimmy Grey of the “Shooting Stars” would get another. There were 26 SBDs still in formation with McClusky when they broke through a puffy white cloud and saw the two carriers below. Down they went, and in spite of some rather wild defensive maneuvers made by the ships, the bombs were going to find both flight decks that morning. With so little flak coming up from the scouting group, the approach to the target was smooth and clear. Gozo would take the worst of it, with no fewer than five bomb hits amidships, just as the flight crews had finished bringing up another Shotai of three fighters.

The planes were caught in the heat and fire of the bomb explosions, with one Zero blown to pieces, a white wing careening wildly along the flight deck and cutting down two deck crewmen who were too late to the deck well to escape. One of the bombs penetrated to the hangar deck, exploding there to set off a raging fire where the last three Zeroes were being fueled. It was that fire that sealed the ship’s fate, burning right through a buckled bulkhead and setting off the ready ammo magazine for the B-turret forward. That explosion blasted through to the main magazine, and Gozo simply blew up.

Aboard Mezu, only six B5Ns had managed to take off before the strike came in, and they had climbed to join the last four Zeroes off the Gozo. That formation of ten planes looked down on the thundering explosion that claimed the scout carrier’s life, and the pilots tightened their jaws. They could see the American dive bombers pull out and head northwest, and they followed that heading, hoping to find the enemy and take just revenge. What they found instead was Lieutenant Merrill Cook’s VF-8 off the Hornet flying CAP with 15 more Wildcats. Only three of the B5Ns would get anywhere near the targets, and no hits were scored. The remaining planes, five in all, diverted to Kwajalein.

As for Mezu, that scout carrier had also taken three hits, with very bad fires, and it was desperately steering for Maloelap to try and find an anchorage before it went down. Yamamoto had sent the two scouts out to look for enemy carriers, and now he knew exactly where they were, but at great cost. Carrier Division 1, with Akagi and Soryu, were well south, the primary covering force for the convoy bringing the Sakaguchi Detachment for the Fiji invasion. Yamamoto was there aboard the Yamato, and the battlecruiser Kirishima followed in the wake of that powerful ship. Cruisers Takao and Atago were up in front with five more destroyers in a wide escort fan.

Admiral Ugaki came in with the bad news. Gozo was gone, Mezu badly damaged, and the Americans were pounding the Marshalls. “We are not too far south,” he said excitedly. “We can still turn and engage.”

“And leave the invasion group uncovered?”

“Those carriers would have to come south to threaten that convoy, and to do so they would have to get past us first.”

“How many enemy carriers were sighted?”

“Only two, with a number of cruisers and destroyers. Admiral, if we do not turn, that task force could even pose a grave threat to our main base at Truk. We have only a single squadron of nine A6Ms, and they will not be able to adequately protect that anchorage. Musashi is just sitting there collecting staff reports and signals traffic, and consider we still have a number of merchant ships anchored, and valuable facilities that cannot be compromised.”

“Yet the Americans could simply withdraw east now. This report says the last remaining planes off Mezu diverted to Kwajalein. We will lose contact, and if we go north, they could swing down and find our invasion group.”

“Truk sir. That base could be severely damaged if we do not intervene.”

“Then you consider it more valuable than the troops we are escorting now?”

“I do, sir. We must not allow this American raiding group to proceed. It must be challenged, here and now. Isn’t that what we hoped to do in the naval component of the FS plan? We have found the American carriers, and now we must go and destroy them.”

It was a very difficult decision, for if the invasion group was found and attacked, it would seriously compromise the entire Fiji invasion plan. Operation FS would not have the forces required to prosecute that battle.

“Where is Carrier Division 5?” asked Yamamoto.

“The last report had them 60 miles west of Mundo in the Solomon Sea.”

“Hara has seen nothing of those remaining enemy carriers?”

“No sir.

“And the Abe Detachment?”

“It has reached the rendezvous point off Lakatoro in the New Hebrides.”

Yamamoto thought for a moment, then decided. “I do not think this American carrier group is going to bother Truk. It is clear, however, that our ruse regarding Midway was not entirely successful. This group may have been on watch there, but it has obviously moved into the Marshalls. I believe it will now come south in our wake, because that is where I intend to take this task force. We will fulfill our primary mission and continue to cover the Sakaguchi Detachment. Remember, we still have no firm report on the location of those carriers that were spotted near Fiji. Until I do have better information, it is my decision to move our two carrier divisions into supporting range of one another. Order Hara’s 5th Carrier Division to proceed to the rendezvous point. We will make that our destination as well.”

Yamamoto saw his Chief of Staff hesitate ever so briefly, then he bowed, knowing an order when he heard one. As one last consideration, Yamamoto spoke again.

“There are 27 A6M fighters at Lae, and I do not think they will be all needed there, as our troops have already made a successful landing at Port Moresby. They report no enemy air defenses there worth mentioning. So we will move another three Shotai, nine more A6M fighters from Rabaul to Truk immediately, and you may notify the base to assume a high level of preparedness. Rabaul may then pull a squadron from Lae to replace those fighters.”

Ugaki nodded, and the die was cast. It was a decision that would soon set off a naval duel that would now crackle and pop like a string of fireworks. For far to the south, Admiral Fletcher had another difficult decision to make. The Japanese had beaten him to Port Moresby. Troops were already on the beaches there, and a small ongoing duel was underway between local shore batteries and the 6-inch guns mounted on the transports. Two enemy ships had been hit, set afire, and looked to be total losses, but most of the landing force was already ashore. Now what?

“The Aussies have a small scout group out there waiting for us, sir,” said Captain Archibald Hugh Douglas on the Saratoga, where Fletcher had planted his flag.

“I don’t think we can keep that appointment,” said Fletcher disconsolately. He had been thinking the situation over. They had reports from Catalinas that spotted four Jap carriers near the Rossell Island Group in the Lower Solomons. Four Jap carriers! That report had not been confirmed, but it was clear the enemy was moving in that direction with their main body. The report was erroneous, a mix-up where two separate planes had each reported a pair of carriers, Hara’s 5th Carrier Division. Yet once those reports reached Suva, they got stitched together by an eager clerk into four carriers.

Two carriers or four, it was intelligence that Fletcher could not ignore. He already knew where Halsey was, and that he was now turning south towards the lower Solomons with the intention of destroying the new enemy seaplane base at Tulagi.

“I think we have to turn,” said Fletcher. “We’re still two days from being any help to Port Moresby, but if I turn north by northeast now, I can move to effect a conjunction with Halsey, and between the two of us, we’ll have those four carriers in a vise.”

“Assuming they don’t have us for lunch first,” said Captain Douglas.

“I know,” said Fletcher. “It’s a risk. They’ll have interior lines and could turn one way or another and gang up on either side of our pincer operation here. But I’m gambling we can catch them before they catch us. Ever play chess Captain? The rule of thumb is to get those two Knights into action before the Bishops are developed. Well, we’re those two Knights. Halsey has the Bishops. So I’m heading right into the middle of the board where a good Knight belongs. Get the boys up on deck and come to 030, ahead full.”

Fletcher made his choice, and his move. With it, the history would now turn to a new page. It seemed there was going to be a battle in the Coral Sea after all, and he was sailing right into the thick of it.

Part VIII

Combinations

“You have to have the fighting spirit. You have to force moves and take chances. That’s what Chess is all about. One day you give your opponent a lesson, the next day he gives you one.”

― Bobby Fischer

Chapter 22

Battle of the Coral Sea

Fletcher had initially moved west around Noumea with the intention of fulfilling orders to strike at enemy bases throughout the Bismarck Archipelago, principally Gasmata and Rabaul. It was only a matter of circumstance that he then learned of Operation MO aimed at Port Moresby, and hastened to attempt an intervention. Had he been bolder, and risked a passage directly through the New Hebrides, he might have made a difference in that battle, but his swing well south of Noumea, where the Allies knew the Carrier Hiyo had laid her eggs by drooping off her entire air wing, was an example of the caution he exercised in battle.

Fletcher was a Black Shoe Admiral, schooled in surface warfare, and not one of the old Brown Shoe Admirals born and bred for carrier warfare. When Crace’s ANZAC squadron, consisting of the heavy cruiser Australia, light cruiser Hobart and a destroyer, was ordered to make a beeline for Port Moresby in an attempt to get at the invasion underway there, Fletcher thought he would ride in late to the rescue, until that fateful sighting report of four Japanese carriers that had been multiplied twice over.

In one sense, the sighting would end up being correct. The Black Shoe Admiral would end up tangling with all four Japanese fleet carriers before his sortie ended. When he turned northeast, it wasn’t long before planes off the Saratoga spotted the enemy right where they expected them to be to the northwest. With a predominance of SBD dive bombers in his task force, Fletcher wasted no time ordering a full strike. Yet the man on the other side was no slouch, Admiral Hara, the stalwart bullish figure the fleet came to call “King Kong.”

* * *

A big man, broad shouldered, and with a thick neck that simply became his head, Chuichi Hara looked every bit the part. He was out with 5th Carrier Division, which had been carrying the burden of most all fleet air support operations since Pearl Harbor. The damage to Kaga, the loss of Hiryu in that strange missile attack, and the refit scheduled for Akagi had left his division the only force ready to support southern offensive operations. When he first heard the news about Hiryu going down he was profoundly shocked—Hiryu struck by heavy rocket weapon just before planned launch… fires uncontrollable….

He found his eyes lingering on that message… heavy rocket weapon… What in the world could that have been? Yet even as he thought that, he knew something in some hidden recess of his mind that was shouting out a warning. Rocket weapon…

That night he saw them in his sleep, bright fiery tails trailing thin white smoke that caught the last fading remnants of the sun near dusk, and soon became gold, then crimson, as if some great unseen beast had clawed the sky. He remembered awakening in a cold sweat, his eyes wide, then realized it was only a dream, shaking it off and listening to the ship as it rode smoothly through the flat dark sea. Why did that report disturb him so? Was it merely the loss of that ship? No, it was something more, but he could not remember it.

He had successfully covered Operation R as Rabaul was taken without a hitch from the Australians. Gasmata and the rest of New Britain were occupied soon after, and then Lae and Salamaua fell easily. He had then been ordered to the Java Sea to support the landings there, but that terrible eruption had shaken that entire theater and driven even the gods of war to heel. Half the Java Sea was now blighted with ashfall, and passage west into the Indian Ocean was now a hazardous affair. The planned raid there had already been cancelled when the Rabaul operation was accelerated, so Hara had no regrets. He was pleased to be ordered east again into calmer waters, and glad to be supporting the move south into the Solomon Sea.

The Japanese carriers had also spotted the approach of the American task force to the southwest, and they were feverishly preparing to strike this unexpected enemy. Hara would order his dive bombers to lead the attack, three squadrons under Sakamoto, Ema and Hayashi. As they took longer to fuel and arm, he would hold his torpedo bombers for the second wave.

Dawn was just lightening the sky when the first planes roared off the long flight deck of Zuikaku, the Lucky Crane where Hara had decided to plant his flag. He had considered Shokaku, the lead ship in the class, but something about her Captain, Takaji Jojima, irritated him, and he was already too prone to grumble with a bad temper.

It was just our good luck that we saw those carriers, thought Hara. Now we must kill them, as they are undoubtedly here to try and interfere with the MO invasion force. But that will not happen—not on my watch—not with Sakamoto up there now. He always went out onto the weather deck to watch the planes form up, the drone and growl of their engines seeming like a swarm of angry bees to him. The formations circled in place until the last Shotai came up to join them. Then he saw the lead plane in the centermost group dip its wings. Sakamoto was saluting him as the dive bombers started on their way.

He looked at his watch… they would be at least an hour out to the suspected location of the enemy carriers, more than enough time to make his offering to the Thunder Gods looming like shadows in the line of clouds off to the north. His carriers had turned into the wind to launch, but now he would give the order to come about, closing the range on the enemy as the strike proceeded. He bowed to the distant storm as Zuikaku began her long graceful turn. Soon he saw Shokaku come abreast to keep formation, the Soaring Crane looking trim and fast that morning. He breathed deeply, smelling the rain behind him on that wind. It was a good day for battle.

* * *

“Archie, how do you like that?” said Fletcher with a broad smile. “Halsey caught a pair of Jap carriers up north and blew them to hell!” He handed the message to Captain Douglas, who looked it over with a nod.

“Tough old bird,” he said. “How’d he get Enterprise and Hornet turned around so quickly. He’s in the Marshalls?”

“Must have chewed on Nimitz a good long while to get him to see through this Midway crap. I never bought it for one second.”

“HYPO sure thought they nailed it,” said Douglas. “I thought they were going to pull us north last week.”

“Not with this MO operation. That was the fly in the ointment. Why would the Japs have a big operation planned for Midway when they were still pushing so hard down here to get into the Solomons? No. As soon as I heard they had something planned for Port Moresby, I realized this Midway thing was nonsense. Nimitz must have realized it too, otherwise he’d still have Halsey on a leash up there.”

“I thought he was waiting for the Wasp?”

“I did too, but now I think they’ll send that ship south as well. Something is brewing out here, and I think we’ve just got wind of it with this sighting. Four Jap carriers? Hell, you know damn well they aren’t heading for Midway if they’re this far south.”

“Right,” said Douglas, “but they’re still pretty far east to have anything to do with this Moresby operation.”

“That’s why I think there’s something more to all this,” said Fletcher. “It wouldn’t surprise me to find out they have troop ships out there bound for Fiji. They were snooping around there with submarines last week.”

“Fiji? Then you think they’re after Suva?”

“It would be a real plum if they ever did manage that.” Fletcher scratched his head, replacing his cap and looking out the narrow window at the flight deck as his dive bombers began to launch. “Our job is to see that never happens.”

“What about Moresby and the raid on Rabaul?”

“Can’t be helped. We’re a day late and more than a dollar short. Now we’ve got four Jap flattops out here, and that trumps everything else. Halsey’s been ordered to get down here ASAP.”

“He won’t be any help for a good long while.” Douglas had just the hint of nerves in his tone. Saratoga was going into her first real fight here, untested and untried. “Let’s hope we get lucky today.”

* * *

When Sakamoto saw the enemy carriers below, he smiled. It looked like a very weak escort group, only a few cruisers and destroyers, and there were two easy targets just waiting for his bombs. Ema’s group was on his left, Hayashi on the right, and though he had every right to begin this attack himself, Ema was in the best position, and he signaled that he should have the honor of leading in the strike. He knew Hara well enough to also know the torpedo planes would soon follow, vectored in from the information he had sent back on the enemy position.

Now it was time for the Thunder Gods. He had every dive bomber available from Zuikaku, and two Shotai from Shokaku had mistakenly followed his formation as well. That would now send 33 D3As into this attack, and there was no better plane in the world for naval air strike at this time, and certainly no better pilots. That was the lethal combination that was going to ruin Admiral Fletcher’s day, and inflict a staggering blow to US hopes in the early months of the war.

Ema’s planes were already attacking through a thin AA defense, but more allied guns were getting into the action. He could see enemy fighters trundling down the long flight decks of the carriers to scramble on defense, but no more than 16 would ever get into action before his attack was driven home. With 22 A6M2 fighters escorting his planes, he was confident that most of his men would get through.

Now it was his turn, his wings tipping over as he maneuvered to attack position. One by one the three Shotai he commanded would follow him down, and after that Hayashi would move in support. Even as he began his dive, he was thrilled to see the first bombs from Ema’s group finding targets. The lead enemy carrier was straddled, and one came down right on the forward flight deck in a dark blooming explosion.

The flack thickened around his planes as they fell on the enemy, but Sakamoto was heedless, his mind on only one thing. His fate was now in the hands of the Thunder Gods he served. The line of his descent was now fixed, and his soul would follow it, carrying with it the echoing voices of all his ancestors. The ship in his sights looked like it was Lexington Class, the prominent joined stack section mounted behind a much small conning island forward. The other ship was different… yes… Yorktown Class, with both the conning section and stack joined on one island. He knew now that he was diving on the Saratoga, and he would not fail to deliver his charge, a 500-pound armor penetrating bomb that went right through that long flight deck to wreak havoc when it exploded on the hangar deck below.

* * *

Fletcher saw the planes coming, and they did not have enough F4s up on cap. Three had found and met the enemy escorts, four more joining them quickly from the patrols aloft. He had six more up with two ready sections off each carrier, and he could see Yorktown scrambling three more. Down on the flight deck, the blue wings were ready to go with another fighter section from Saratoga, but it would never take off. Sakamoto had just seen to that when his bomb fell right forward of the main conning section on the flight deck. There was a shudder as the explosion rocked the ship, and fragments of the shattered deck clanked against his conning section, followed by thick black smoke.

“They couldn’t have put that one in a worse place,” said Captain Douglas, his face grim and set.

“Thank god we launched the dive bombers half an hour ago,” said Fletcher. “We’re going to take some lumps here, but we put 60 SBDs in the air with a good escort, and they better find those bastards.”

“They’ll find them,” said Douglas, “and they’ll hurt them too. Let’s hope to god we’ve got an operational flight deck here when they get home.”

They could already see the damage control teams rushing to get a hose stream right into that hole in the flight deck. It looked bad, and it was going to get a lot worse. Sakamoto’s bomb would not be the last to hit home. The pilots of the Misty Lagoon were in rare form that day, and it was Hayashi’s group that proved to be particularly lethal.

* * *

He dove into the blooming dawn, seeing the line of distant clouds framing the horizon. Hayashi was in the lead, riding his machine with the special brew of adrenaline that only active combat can produce. It was fear restrained by excitement and the sheer will to survive and bring harm to the enemy. It was dedication and bravery, and both came with a heavy dose of mayhem and insanity. There were thirty seconds down, five to pull out, and just before, that single split second on the edge of fate where the bomb releases, swinging down on the trapeze, and whistling into the leaden sky. He had to time that moment perfectly, the effort of synapse, muscle and bone.

All the while he focused his mind on only one thing—the target—ignoring all else. Somewhere, the ten other things he had to do in a dive were all being processed by his brain. His hands and feet moved, applying just the right pressure, at just the right time. Then it was bomb away. Hayashi was going to get his hit. He could hear the explosion, and see the bright tongues of fire leaping up in his wake after he pulled out. His would be one of three other bombs delivered to that carrier that morning, and when they were done, the Saratoga was a flaming wreck.

* * *

The fires were burning deep, well below the main flight deck, but it wasn’t until Hayashi had made the climb up to 10,000 feet again that the final blow would be delivered by the N5N torpedo bombers. Matsua had arrived with the 18 planes of the Lucky Crane, and they were going in. Four bomb hits on Saratoga would now get insult added to injury when two torpedoes put the ship into a steep list. Fletcher suddenly had much more to worry about than clearing his flight deck. It was now a question of whether he could even save the ship.

The island was largely intact, but the hangar deck was severely compromised with three separate fires, and he had two gaping holes on his starboard side, and a list that forced him to counter-flood and lose his main magazine in the process. No matter what he did now, Saratoga was out of this fight. Her planes were still out there somewhere, but her war would soon be over. Captain Douglas came running up the stairs to the smoky bridge, his eyes carrying the bad news before he could speak a single word.

“It doesn’t look good,” he said. “We’re still shipping water, and they can’t stop that breach forward. We’ll be down at the bow well over 5 degrees in ten minutes. Admiral, I think we’re going to lose her. You had best consider transferring your flag to one of the cruisers.”

“My God,” said Fletcher as another explosion thundered up. “Look at the Yorktown.”

They stared, seeing the tall column of fire and smoke amidships. Seven bombs had done the work there, and one of them set off the aviation bomb storage magazine. It blew a thirty-five-foot segment of the hull clean off the ship, and now the smoke was so heavy they could barely see the bow of the carrier. “We’re going to lose them both…” Fletcher had a dull, vacant look in his eye. “I knew we were looking for too much trouble coming north like this. Why the hell wasn’t I more careful?” It was too late for caution now.

The ship rumbled with a heavy vibration.

“Sir,” said the Captain. “With your permission, I think we should get the crew off as soon as we can. They’re after the cruisers now. Minneapolis took at least two hits, along with Pensacola. Chester is damn near dead in the water, but New Orleans still has some fight in her. Get on over there, sir. We’ll need you off this ship.”

Fletcher could hardly believe what had just happened to his task force. One minute he was leaning on a hand rail, eyeing the weather report with one ear cocked towards the overhead radio speaker. The pilots were finally getting into the fight at the other end of this affair, out there somewhere to the northwest, but they couldn’t return to this little slice of hell on the sea. If any man among them would live out this day, they would have to get to the Santa Cruz Islands. There was a small landing strip there, and Ndeni was still controlled by the Aussies.

He looked at Captain Douglass, eyes glassy as he spoke. “Get a signal off to CINCPAC if we still can. Tell them what happened and that I’m taking anything that can still float to Brisbane.”

In thirty minutes time, Sakamoto, Ema, Hayashi and Matsua had virtually destroyed Taffy Eleven, and neither Saratoga nor Yorktown would make it anywhere near Brisbane.

Chapter 23

The radar eyes on the Takami had not failed to notice the drama unfolding in the Coral Sea. Fukada seemed very restless on his bridge watch, lingering after Captain Harada had come up to relieve him. He was hovering over the Phased Array readout panels, asking Lieutenant Ryoko Otani one question after another.

“How far off is that mess?” He was seeming multiple contacts, and getting a bit nervous. They were over the last reported position of the Japanese 5th Carrier division.

“That’s right on the edge of our scanning range,” said Otani. “About 170 Nautical miles as I read it.” The SPY-1D could range out 175 nautical miles for airborne contacts at that altitude, and about 45 for low approach vector targets like missiles. Had the planes been higher, the radar could have seen much farther. But they were getting an assist from one of the helicopters, and seeing an event that was actually 290 miles away.

“Too far for our SM-2s,” said Fukada. “But our SM-3s could get out there.”

“What’s all this about?” Captain Harada came over, arms folded, eyes on Otani’s screens.

“A nice little swarm over the 5th Carrier Division,” she explained.

“A launch or recovery operation?”

“Could be a bit of both, but the fact that it came on my screen from the south leads me to suspect the latter.”

“It might also be an enemy strike underway,” said Fukada. “We can’t rule that out.”

“How many bees?” asked Harada.

“I’m reading 97 distinct contacts, but we had six marked as likely CAP patrols earlier.”

“If that is a strike then those carriers would have doubled down on that with a scramble. Did we send a warning?”

“No sir, the reading just came in and the XO and I were just trying to sort it all out.”

Harada looked at Fukada. “So what was that about our SM-3s?”

“I was just commenting that it was the only missile we had that could make the range.”

“Right,” said the Captain. “All twelve of them.” The Takami had a total of 96 VLS cells, and a mix of three different missiles sharing them. The medium range SM-2s got the lion’s share, with 74 missiles that could range out 65 to 100 nautical miles. They had only a dozen of the longer range SM-3, designed to foil ballistic missile attacks at ranges out to 375 nautical miles for the Block IA/B versions, of which there were ten. The last two were block IIA, a very long range missile interceptor that could get out 1350 nautical miles, and with a ceiling of just uner1000 miles.

“Take the S3s off your list for any combat operation we’re likely to see here,” said Harada. “They’re just too damn valuable. I’ll make them the last dozen missiles we ever fire.” The remaining ten silos housed the RUM 139 ASROC anti-sub missile, so in effect, their air defense at range was going to result in no more than 74 kills, and they had already fired three. There were no reloads. Underway replenishment for the Mark 41 VLS system was just not in the cards, and even if they could reload at sea, there would never be a replenishment ship out there to service them.

Harada could see that Fukada was edgy, and spoke again. “I know you’re itching to get into this fight XO, but we have to hold our cards close to our chest here, and play things out sparingly—that is if we want to retain any clout with Yamamoto, let alone for our own defense.”

“I understand that,” said Fukada. “I wasn’t suggesting we fire the SM-3s Captain—just thinking out loud.”

“Fair enough.” Harada looked over at his Comm station, where Hiroko Shiota was back at her post. “Let me know the minute you hear anything,” he said.

Half an hour later, that minute came. “Captain,” said Shiota. “I’m getting something now.” She was running it all through the decryption computer. They had warned Yamamoto that the Americans were snooping on his naval code, but said nothing of the fact that they had the whole thing programmed into their lightning fast decryption module. “Damn if it doesn’t sound like a distress call sir. It reads ‘Soaring Crane has fallen—REPEAT—Soaring Crane has fallen.’ What do you make of it sir?”

Fukada spoke before anyone else. “Shokaku,” he said sullenly. “That’s the Soaring Crane. It looks like we found out what our swarm of bees was. That must have been an American strike after all.”

“Right sir,” said Lieutenant Otani on the SPY-1D. “It’s breaking up now, but this is odd, the contacts aren’t resuming a heading south to their home carriers. At least they aren’t going home the way they came in. They’re headed our way.”

Fukada rushed over. “Show me.”

She pointed out the tracks, overlaid a predictive plot, and it showed about forty contacts heading east. “Where could they be going, sir?”

“The Santa Cruz Islands are right on that same heading,” said Fukada, his eyes shifting from one place to another on the screen. “Mister Ikida,” he raised his voice to get the navigator’s attention.

“Sir?” Michi Ikida turned to acknowledge.

“You have the position on this ruckus Otani’s been watching?”

“Sir, yes sir. I read it at—”

“How far to the Santa Cruz Islands?”

“From the present reading, about 270 standard miles.”

Fukada smiled. “There’s our answer.” He turned to Captain Harada. “Someone must have passed the word that the nest was on fire. Those planes must be trying to divert to Ndeni. There’s a small airstrip there, and that’s still Australian held territory.”

Harada walked over to have a look at Ikida’s plot map. It made sense. “Which means…”

“The Americans got smashed,” said Fukada with a smile. “Hara must have had a strike wave up at the same time and hurt the American carriers, possibly even sunk them. If they were still operational, why would those planes divert to the Santa Cruz Islands? Unless… Could they possibly know of our presence here?”

“I doubt that,” said Harada. “We were snooped by that presumed PBY out of Fiji, but it would be some pretty fancy flying to send one group like this and attempt a double strike.”

“Not that it matters,” said Fukada. “They’ll soon be well inside our SM-2 range when they approach. We can knock them down before they make landfall.”

There was complete silence on the bridge after Fukada said that, and a couple of the junior officers shifted uncomfortably. Then Harada spoke. “I’m not sure I like that idea, Mister Fukada. It just feels a little too much like hitting the other fellow when he’s down.”

“But sir, what if they do know we’re here. What if some of those planes are still carrying ordnance?”

“We’ll know that in time if they approach, but my bet is that they are diverting to those islands.”

“Well, if those planes land safely there, we’ll just have to deal with them again one day.”

“Will we? The way I read it is like this: there’s probably forty or fifty planes left out there, half as many as they came with for this mission. It was their first, am I correct in that?”

“I’m reading about 60 contacts sir,” said Otani.

“And they just got some very bad news from home. Now they’re all probably looking at their fuel gauges and wondering how far those damn islands are, and whether they’ll make it or be forced to ditch and take their chances with the sharks. No, I don’t think I’ll add our SM-2s to the list of things they’re worrying about right now. They’ve done their job, and I’d guess most are no longer carrying any ordnance. They’ll jettison it to conserve fuel, and even then, they’ll be damn near empty if they do land at Ndeni, and I don’t think there will be any air crews waiting to arm and gas up those planes. No, I think their war is over for a while. Who knows how long it would be before the US got anyone out there to see about them. So they aren’t our business here. Like I said, our missiles are just too damn precious. Any combat order I issue will be for a clear and present danger to this ship, or to the task force we are supporting. That’s a standing order.” He looked at Fukada and the others. “So remember it—and while you’re at it, remember the men who died out there today, on both sides. Mister Fukada thinks we lost the Shokaku today. Maybe he’s right, and maybe the other side took a few hard knocks as well. Let’s work this into a signal to Yamamoto and let him know what our take is on this intelligence. If he’s concerned about it, he can strengthen his defensive CAP. Other than that, its steady as she goes.”

* * *

Halsey took the message, eyeing it with those aquiline eyes, his brow furrowed beneath his cap. Then his sour expression deepened, and he reached up and threw that cap right on the deck.

“Now what in God’s name is this all about?” He had a mind to say something considerably worse, but given his cap was already on the deck, and the eyes of every officer on the bridge were on him now, he restrained himself. Captain George Murray was standing by his chair, arms folded. “In my ready room,” said Halsey, and he went steaming off, leaving his cap behind. Murry had the presence of mind to stoop and pick it up as he followed. The two men entered the small room off the main bridge, and closed the hatch.

The island of a carrier was much smaller than many would think, with small metal walled rooms, low ceilings, hatches you had to step up and over to get through. The ceiling was a morass of bundled cables, squawk boxes, PA speakers and other oddments. Murray had glanced at the broad Plexiglas status board to make certain nothing was amiss there, but he suspected the source of the Admiral’s anger was not ship’s rotations or anything else that was aboard before that message just came in. He knew what it was—orders—and they were obviously not to Halsey’s liking.

“Will you look at this?” Halsey handed off the message, scowling, watching as Murray looked it over, scratching his head.

“Ellice Islands? Why there?”

“God only knows.” Halsey snatched the message back and read it aloud. “EAM – Withdraw immediately to rendezvous at coordinates to follow. Additional Message to follow. An Emergency Action Message. Funafuti? That’s in the Ellice Islands Group! Well here I was just about to lock horns with Yamamoto and now they want to pull us off east? That next message had better have a damn good reason for this bullshit. What’s Nimitz doing?”

“Steady Admiral. He must know something we don’t know. We haven’t heard a thing from Fletcher for the last six hours, and we know he got into something down south.”

“All the more reason to get down there,” said Halsey, eyes wide, the anger still there.

“Commander, Pacific Fleet wants us somewhere else,” said Murray. “EAM is an order, hard and fast in any book I ever read. Let’s wait this out and see what this next message is all about.” He handed Halsey his cap, a wry smile on his face easing the atmosphere in the cramped quarters.

It wasn’t long before they got that second message, but it didn’t come before CINCPAC sent a request that Halsey confirm his new heading. When it did come, the news was far worse than anything Halsey expected. “Mother of God,” he said this time. “We lost Yorktown and Saratoga—both of them went down in the Coral Sea.…. We’re to move east at once and rendezvous with Wasp and Shiloh. Sweet Jesus, they don’t even know if Fletcher made it to one of the cruisers safely.”

“Did we get off an attack?”

“Apparently. They found the Jap carriers and scored hits on both, but fuel was suddenly a big issue. They all had to divert to the Santa Cruz Islands.”

“Well we can get down there and bring them home,” said Murray.

“Captain, twenty minutes ago you were telling me about orders. No. Anybody that made it to those islands and landed safely will just have to sit there until we sort things out. Right now Nimitz wants us to meet up with Wasp and Shiloh. They left Pearl five days ago and have been heading our way. They’ll have a tanker waiting for us there as well.”

“Nimitz wants to draw another two cards before he makes his next bet,” said Murray.

“Sounds that way. Christ, this is almost as bad as Pearl. To top it off, the Japs got through to Moresby and took the place yesterday. Radio Tokyo made the announcement at 16:00, and rubbed it in real good. The bastards even invited us to try and take another crack at Tokyo and see what happens.”

Murray shook his head. “This is getting serious. We’re down to three fleet carriers now, and the two scout carriers. Antietam is still laid up in Pearl, and after Wasp, we won’t get anything else for a good long while. We just can’t afford to lose another carrier out here. What do you figure Nimitz is scheming on?”

“Fiji,” said Halsey. “HYPO dropped this bullshit about A.F. and Midway, and now they think that’s where the Japs are headed next. They told Halsey an invasion group is already at sea. People have been saying something was up, and I never thought it was Midway from the beginning. It’s right down here—Fiji—that’s what they really want now. They take that, and they’ve damn near cut us off from the boys down under.”

“It’s a big ocean out there,” said Murray. “They can think that, but we’ll just fall back on Samoa. Pago Pago is every bit as good as Suva for a staging point. They’re even shipping in the 1st Marine Division there.”

“Well don’t throw this match just yet,” said Halsey. “If they are planning to hit Fiji, I should be down there as soon as possible. Waiting for Wasp and Shiloh could let them get ashore before we have anything to say about it.”

“Face it, Bill. We just lost Fletcher’s entire group, and Nimitz isn’t taking any chances now. He wants us loaded for bear before he moves anywhere close to the Japs again. They only had four carriers at Truk, and maybe Fletcher got one in that scrap. With Wasp, we can go toe to toe with them on a level playing field. That has to be the plan now.”

Halsey thought for a moment. “If they hit Fletcher that hard it had to cost them something. They would have lost planes, pilots, fuel, munitions, and hell, maybe a carrier too. I’d be willing to bet that was Carrier Division 5 in the Coral Sea, and for my money I’d say they would have to go to the corner before they come out for another round. That’s where we make our move.”

“Then you figure they’ll cover this Fiji operation with those other two carriers from Truk?”

“It’s looking that way. So we may even have the advantage when we handshake with Wasp. Nimitz knew I’d want to get down there and throw punches the moment I heard about this. That’s why the bastard split these orders into two parts. He wanted to make sure he got me out of the ring and heading east before he sent us that news about Fletcher.”

“The old man’s a sly one,” said Murray with a smile. “But it’s better this way, Bill. You want to take this fight south? With Wasp along, we’ll have the muscle. This isn’t over, and we’ve got to play this right. If we lose this one…”

He didn’t have to say anything more.

Chapter 24

When the strike wing finally returned to Hara’s task force they were dismayed to find only one carrier there. Sakamoto’s knowing eye spotted the Lucky Crane, a thin stream of white smoke still trailing from the starboard bow area. He made one fly by pass, seeing the decks were clear and undamaged, and then ordered his men to begin landing.

Hayashi was one of the first down, elated that he had put his bomb right on the enemy carrier, and further pleased by the news that both carriers had been sunk. “But where is Shokaku?” he asked.

“Hit many times,” said the flight crewman. “The ship went down an hour ago, but we were able to get most of her pilots and crew off safely. There are many aboard, so don’t be surprised if we have visitors tonight.”

Hayashi went below to find them, speaking with several torpedo plane pilots with consoling words. They had not had the chance to get airborne before the American dive bombers came in. “They made a clumsy attack,” one man said, a Lieutenant Sato that Hayashi did not recognize. “But there were many planes. We should have had more fighters up. The gunners on Shokaku did their best, but those 25mm guns do not do well against fast moving targets like dive bombers. They are difficult to elevate, track too slowly, and jam all too often.”

“I am sorry for your loss, Sato. How is it I do not know you? I recognize most everyone else here from the Division.”

“Because this is the second carrier the enemy has taken from me,” said Sato sullenly. “I should throw myself overboard, for all I will do here is bring you bad luck.”

“Second carrier? Then you were on the Hiryu?”

“A good ship,” said Sato, with just a hint of nostalgia in his tone.

Hayashi was suddenly very interested. “Tell me,” he said. “Is it true that Hiryu was sunk by a rocket weapon?”

“I saw it with my own eyes,” said Sato, “though I still cannot believe what I witnessed. It was terribly fast, so fast that our gunners had no chance to even take aim at the thing before it struck us. It came from above, then swooped low over the sea. I thought they would get it, but it was impossible. Nothing could have stopped it, and it found the ship as if it had eyes. To this day, I am convinced it must have been piloted, but where the enemy got such a weapon still escapes me. The Siberians? They’ve been under our heel for decades, and now they openly declare war on Japan? That is also unbelievable. Many say the Russians gave them this weapon. We do not know how it is deployed, but some say there is a ship operating up north. You have been here in the South Seas, so you may not have heard, but our sailors have given this ship a name up north. They call it—”

“Mizuchi,” said Hayashi, yet even as he said that he could not remember ever hearing it.

“Yes!” said Sato. “Then you have heard the story once already? The name is well given. I have not seen this ship, but it must be a demon. It struck the Hiryu from well over the horizon with this rocket weapon, and then, when we sent Mutsu and Chikuma up to get after the Siberians, they came back as floating wrecks. I heard what happened—more of these naval rockets. They strike with terrible speed, and set off raging fires that are simply uncontrollable. Whatever this ship is, it is very powerful, very dangerous. But no one has seen it since. I am no coward, but believe me, when I got the news that I was to be transferred to the South Seas Fleet, I was very happy. The farther away from that demon, the better.”

Mizuchi… Hayashi could see a shadow in his mind, something dark and wavering on the sea. It was as if he was up above, ready to strike with his comrades and then he saw himself falling like a stone to attack. The sky was suddenly alive with the strange smoky tentacles of the beast below them. They reached up to find his brothers, striking the planes and smashing them to pieces as they dove—and yes—they were rockets. Now he felt a cold chill settle over him, and an oppressive sense of dread. Mizuchi… death on the sea… his death, but it was a brave death, an honorable death….

He shook his head, almost shivering as he sought to dispel this strange recollection. His better self chided him that he was just being foolish, servicing the fears and rumors that had been circulating through the fleet. But then again, he found it odd that Kaga and Tosa were not assigned to this operation. Then he heard they had been kept in home waters because of the threat posed by the Siberians, something that would have been laughable just months ago. The Siberians? They had no navy at all, but now it seemed that was not the case. They did have at least one good ship, something dark and unseen in the cold waters of the north. Something he had the strangest feeling that he, himself, had encountered in the disturbing vision he had just shaken from his mind… Mizuchi….

Hayashi looked around the briefing room, seeing the faces of all his squadron mates, their cheeks red, smiling, eyes wide as they boasted of the brave attack they had made against the American carriers. They fought well. They were the best of the best, the pilots of the Misty Lagoon, unmatched by any other flyers in the world. He watched them as they boasted, clapping one another on the back, their hands describing the movement of their planes as they recounted details of the attack. And he watched them go, one by one to seek out food and rest. The Lucky Crane was heading north, or so they had learned. They were going back to Rabaul to replenish, and then they would fight again. His men were very eager, and he was proud of them.

He lingered there in the briefing room for some time, hearing the last echoes of the others in the corridor outside. Then a darkness seemed to fall on him, and he saw the empty room, the empty chairs, and that feeling of impending dread returned. What was he thinking? Soon those chairs would all be full again as the men gathered to be briefed on their next strike mission. He would sit next to his good friend Matsua, from the torpedo squadron, and they would discuss tactics after the briefing, just as they always did.

But one day, he thought darkly, those chairs will be empty. Why should it be me that stands here alone to know this? What is this doom I sense all around me now? I must have a case of the jitters from that last mission, though I cannot see why I should be so bothered. No… It was not that, not the mission. I have flown so many others, and never felt any fear worth mentioning. I am no coward. I am not afraid to give my life to strike my enemy, for that is what I came here for. Yet this feeling… it is something more than fear. It is almost as if I can see things that have not yet happened, things that will happen… It is almost as if I can read the book of fate….

He looked around at the empty briefing room, then lowered his head and hastened off to follow his brothers to the mess hall.

* * *

Admiral Hara reviewed his orders, a subtle knowing smile the only faint outward sign that he had finally come to terms with what had happened.

Secret South Seas Fleet Operational Order No. 13

Moresby Carrier Force: CV Division 5 – Admiral Chuichi Hara

Sortie from Truk towards the Solomon Islands on about day X–10 through waters to the north-east, and then continue to provide direct support for the Tulagi invasion operation. On day X–5, (the day after the start of reconnaissance flying boat patrols from Tulagi), enter the Coral Sea from the east of the Solomon Islands, begin to provide direct support to the Moresby Invasion Force as required, according to the following strategies.

a. When a powerful naval force is detected, first attack and destroy.

We have certainly done that, he thought. Two enemy carriers! Yet for that we pay with the loss of our sister ship. The Soaring Crane will never fly again. Shokaku is gone…

b. Continue to make preparations for the appearance of a powerful naval force, and mobilize to protect the Fiji Invasion Force as required. Provide limited air patrolling and support for the Fiji Invasion Force when this becomes necessary according to the situation.

Not possible. The action against the Americans in the Coral Sea has left me with only minor damage here on Zuikaku. The Lucky Crane lives up to its name, but we have lost planes, pilots, and now we need to replenish before I can hope to be of any further use to Operation FS. My torpedo bombers have only six lances remaining. It will be necessary to withdraw to Rabaul.

c. Up until day X+5 after the successful landing at Fiji, continue preparations for the appearance of a powerful enemy naval force in the area of the Koro Sea within range of Japanese landing sites. Command of naval units in the area shall be directly under Combined Fleet Headquarters aboard Yamato when engaging a powerful enemy force.

That explains Yamamoto’s order for me to disengage and move east to the New Hebrides instead of pursuing the survivors from that enemy task force we engaged. He wanted me to join Carrier Division 1 and restore the Kido Butai to its normal full strength of four fleet carriers. Unfortunately, I cannot do so, and I have so informed Combined Fleet Headquarters of that sad fact. The Fiji Operation will now only be supported by Carrier Division 1, but I have at least succeeded in covering Operation MO, and insuring the invasion and occupation of Tulagi and Port Moresby. The latter was a significant victory. If nothing else, this will reinforce my proposal that we should make Darwin our next objective after Fiji is secured.

Yamamoto will continue south, even though we know there are enemy carriers lurking well north of the operational area in the Marshalls. There we paid again, losing both Gozo and Mezu to what was apparently a much stronger enemy task force. That was inevitable. Those two scout carriers could muster no more than 24 planes between them, and at least most of those safely diverted to Kwajalein. Where are those American carriers now? I was ordered to retrace my route near Tulagi on my way back to Rabaul, though I cannot see why. This single carrier could not oppose another strong enemy carrier task force. So Yamamoto will have to deal with that, and I hope he is equal to the task. Akagi has returned to the fleet, and the crews on Soryu have also lost their sister ship to that strange rocket attack up north.

That had been quite the mystery. I have heard fleet rumors, whispers in the intelligence channels, talk about Karafuto—Sakhalin Island. That is why we are not at full strength here. Tosa had to be retained in home waters, and Kaga is still under repair. That, and the unfortunate terror that nearly destroyed the entire 2nd Infantry Division on Java, have forced us to conduct these operations with only four fleet carriers.

The Army was none too happy about the loss of that division, and they have refused to replace it. It was all Yamamoto and Ugaki could do to get them to agree to take the 48th Division from Java and reduce the garrison there to only one division. Now where will I get the force I need for my Darwin proposal? Perhaps I could see if General Nishimura could spare anything from Singapore, but that will have to wait… For now, I must get Zuikaku safely back to Rabaul, repair that small hole in our bow where that last American dive bomber got lucky, and then we will see what the situation is regarding Fiji.

Something tells me I may never lead that Darwin invasion. This may be the last operation we conduct in the south. Come May, we will be looking over our shoulder in the north. We feared a war on two fronts. Yes, I warned Ugaki about it before Pearl Harbor, but he said it was simply too late to change any of the plans. Now look at the situation. We are fighting the British in Burma out west, the Americans here in the south and now the Siberians in the north—a three front war! Ugaki should have listened to me….

* * *

That same day the invasion forces made their approach to Fiji, and the pilots of Carrier Division 1 finally got their chance to get into action. Sweeps were conducted by the A6M2 squadrons, finding a surprising number of enemy fighters up to oppose them. But the enemy planes were all older P-39s and P-400s, a variant of that same plane. They had been delivered months ago by the Pensacola Convoy, uncrated and assembled into the 67th Pursuit Squadron. The inexperienced pilots would now get their chance against the Aces of Carrier Division 1, and though a few got lucky with an occasional shot that damaged or downed an enemy plane, they paid a high price.

There had been 42 operational planes available on the airfield near Suva at the southeastern corner of Fiji. By the end of the first day, that number had been reduced to twenty. Then the dive bombers came off the carriers, pounding the field and blasting another six planes on the ground, older Buffalos that had no business in the skies above, even though they had tried to scramble when the air alert sounded. Four were caught on the tarmac, another two gunned to firing wrecks as a pair of Zeroes swooped low to strafe the field as the Buffalos were trying to take off.

Job one for the carrier strike group led by Yamamoto was to neutralize that airfield and any chance that the Americans could use those planes to attack the troop transports. Through all this action, DDG-180 simply provided services as an early warning picket. The Phased Array radar could spot any enemy planes unfailingly, and the information was quickly radioed to Akagi. No missiles were needed, as the Japanese pilots were more than capable in this situation, and the P-39s posed no real strike threat.

There had also been a variant of the SDB-Dauntless Dive Bomber crated up in the Pensacola Convoy, dubbed the A-24 Banshee by the Army Air Force. Yet those planes had been sent to Pago Pago, and were not available at Suva when the attack finally started.

The invasion groups had been well coordinated, and the order Nimitz had sent to Halsey meant that Carrier Division 1 would impose its Steel Reign over the scene on the first three days of the battle. The main objective of the landings was not Suva Bay, but Nandi on the western coast of the main island of Viti Lavu.

Fiji Was a large island, some 95 miles at its widest point and 65 miles top to bottom. It was surrounded by long archipelagoes of smaller islands, with one large sister in Vanua Levu to the northeast. That island was over 110 miles long, but no more than 20 to 30 miles wide, and much less developed. Most of the primary installations were on the big island of Viti Lavu that most associated with the name “Fiji.” The main port and airfield was at Suva, but there was also a port at Nandi and Lautoka, on the northern edge of Nandi Bay.

This would be the main objective of the Japanese landing, for they had determined that there were only two brigades of troops from New Zealand, the 8th at Suva and the 14th at Nandi. It was thought that they could then overwhelm the defense at Nandi to secure a lodgment on the main island, and Nandi Bay offered a good anchorage site for the transports to offload their supplies.

But things had changed in the early months of the war. The arrival of the 132nd Infantry Regiment of the US 23rd Division at Suva had seen the 8th Brigade moved to reinforce Nandi, and so when the Abe Detachment began to storm ashore under the thunder of Yamato’s great guns, they would meet twice the force they expected to find there. The many combinations that ensued in the naval maneuvers had set the scene, but now it was time for the grinding endgame as the invasion itself got underway. As always, no plan ever survived first contact with the enemy, and this one was no different.

Part IX

Endgame

“Play the opening like a book, the middle game like a magician, and the endgame like a machine.”

― Spielmann

Chapter 25

15 April, 1942

On the western perimeter of the reefs and atolls surrounding the main islands of the Fiji Group were the Yasawa Group, a string of long thin islands that seemed to rise like bubbles from the snout of the great flat fish body of Viti Lavu below. They were mostly hilly wooded land, but the main island in the north presented some reasonably open land where an airfield might be built. It was there that elements of Base Force 9 would be put ashore to survey the island, clear it of any enemy coastwatchers, and select the best site for an airfield. In this effort, it was supported by the 2nd Yokosuka SNLF battalion, and so a Tulagi sized operation was well underway there before dawn.

Further south, the leading elements of the main invasion group were carrying the 47th Regiment, otherwise known as the Abe Detachment, which was intending to land north of Nandi Bay at Laotoka. That was defended by 29th Battalion, 14th New Zealand Brigade supported by the brigade artillery group. The preliminary bombardment here was fairly intense, with salvoes by the battleships Kirishima, Kongo and Haruna, the heavy cruisers Tone and Maya, and finally, a booming attack fired off by Yamato. They were unopposed, as the only Allied naval presence in the whole region was limited to the cruiser Chester and destroyers Dale and Hull at Suva that had been refitting with new radar equipment delivered earlier. They got no orders to sortie that morning.

It was a surface action group that could not have been challenged, even if Halsey’s entire cruiser escort had been present. Given that his carriers were still far to the north approaching the Ellice Islands, the Japanese would have absolute naval supremacy during the invasion.

Major-General Koichi Abe’s veteran 47th Regiment began its landings in the narrow coral fringed channel leading to the port, which was hotly defended in spite of the pounding delivered by those ships. 3rd Battalion landed first, storming onto the quays and docks, but was soon pinned down by withering machinegun fire from well sited positions in the buildings adjacent to the harbor. Fires were already beginning in the town where the initial bombardment had fallen most heavily. But it was not until 1st Battalion landed on the narrow coastal strip between the town and Vunda Point to the south that the deadlock at the harbor began to break up.

Japanese troops rushed into the warehouses, bayonets fixed, and killed anyone they found, whether or not they had a weapon or uniform on. They then infiltrated into the town as the Kiwis attempted to regroup, and were soon stopped again with the timely arrival of the 36th Battalion from 8th Brigade, which had been moving to the scene for the last hour. This force was strong enough to counterattack, and soon the Japanese found themselves being pushed back toward the wharf and warehouse sector.

Major-General Abe was finally ashore, and he wasted no time reorganizing a renewed attack, gathering all three of his battalions to make the push. It was going to be a shock attack, with the veteran Japanese infantry advancing with fixed bayonets into the very fluid house to house fighting that was now underway.

Meanwhile the 48th Cav Recon Regiment under Lieutenant Colonel Kuro Kitamura, was landing well to the south in Nandi Bay with his raiding force. He had fast troops with light vehicles, and even horses to give the infantry element additional mobility in the rugged inland country. Before they would land, the battleships Kirishima and Haruna were detached from the bombardment group and met up with the heavy cruisers Tone, Chokai and Kinagusa in Nandi Bay. Their fire was mainly concentrated at the port of Nandi itself, the adjacent airfield, and shore batteries that had been position to oppose a direct landing there.

The 6-inch shore batteries positioned in well-fortified sites along that coast began to return fire, and a small duel began when the two batteries protecting Nandi Bay returned fire on the Japanese warships. A heavy mist lay over the bay, obscuring the positions of the enemy ships, which could only be identified when they fired. Well to the south, Kitamura’s men were already ashore and pushing into lightly cultivated ground south of Nandi. The enemy transports had not been seen, and so the opening bombardment had served as a big distraction, focusing the Kiwis defensive response right there near the harbor.

Kitamura’s first objective would be the small dispersal airstrip at Momi, defended by 1st Company, 35th Battalion of the 8th New Zealand Brigade. These troops had only just arrived on the scene, having been posted much further south at another possible enemy landing point, Likuri Harbor. The battalion there had detached this company to scout up the coast along the rail line that had been built from Nawa on the south coast to Nandi. They arrived just as Kitamura’s raiders made their push for Momi Airfield, and a brisk meeting engagement ensued. Outnumbered three to one, the Kiwis held for as long as they could, but within an hour they had been relentlessly driven back from the airfield and forced to retreat into the jungle.

All these early landings were further supported by a daring raid by the elite Rikusentai paratroopers of the 1st and 3rd Yokosuka SNLF battalions. Flying out of Noumea, these veteran troops had already fought in Borneo, at Kupang in West Timor, where they suffered severe casualties, and in the ill-fated operations against Sumatra and Java. The survivors had been reinforced with fresh replacements from Japan, and flew by night all the way from Rabaul to Luganville on the French controlled island of Vanuatu in the New Hebrides. The Ki-57 Troop transport planes had just enough range to make the trip, and the French had agreed to refuel the planes that night, making them ready for the final leg of their journey by air to the Fiji Islands, another 700 air miles.

Along the way the transports had been escorted by fighters off the Zuiho, which was now arriving on the scene of the action after coming all the way from the Solomon Sea south of Port Moresby. The careful planning and coordination of this operation was something that was simply beyond the capabilities of the Allies at this time. Like a fighter that had been dropped in the first round, pummeled on the ropes and staggered in the early going, the Allies were still covering up on defense as Japan moved in for the battle they hoped would clinch the fight in a knockout.

While this was going on, the second regiment scheduled to make the Fiji assault landing was still at sea, navigating the treacherous gaps between long coral reefs that surrounded most of the island group. Major General Shizuo Sakaguchi was leading his regimental sized detachment to the far north of the island, intending to land near the small port of Tavua. Even as the paratroopers of the 1st Yokosuka SNLF landed about seven kilometers to the east of that harbor, his transports were threading their way into the narrow Manava Passage leading to the port. They would be supported by naval gunfire from the heavy cruiser Aoba and a fist full of destroyers that were already in a hot gun battle with a battery of Kiwi coastal artillery.

For the Allies, with many miles of coastline to watch and defend, it was a frustrating morning. They could not make any major redeployment of ground troops because the Japanese could land anywhere they pleased, so the entire US 132nd Infantry Regiment was simply ordered to hunker down on the ground it held along the southern coast of the island, mostly around Suva Bay.

This was a former National Guard Regiment, that had come a long way from Camp Forest in Tennessee, loaded aboard trains guarded by FBI agents in those early fearful days of the war, and then onto transports in Task Force 6814 bound for Australia. It was to become the first regiment of what would soon be called the “Pacifica Division” in this history, and it was going to get but a brief respite before its baptism by fire would begin.

The troops had already seen the white winged Japanese fighters overhead, some swooping down to strafe their position near Suva, and then the Vals came in, their bombs whistling down to strike the anchorage sector. It was their own mini version of Pearl Harbor, made by airmen off two carriers that had been in on that raid months earlier. Informed by Takami that the seas and skies were clear, the pilots off Akagi and Soryu were free to impose their reign of steel over the island. If Nimitz had not diverted Halsey, this action might have met a strong challenge from the planes off Enterprise and Hornet. But Nimitz was playing a different game now, carefully husbanding his remaining pieces on the board, and planning to mount a counterattack once the Japanese carriers had run out their lease on these waters.

As it seemed clear that the other big island of Vanua Levu was not being targeted, the only move the US made was to transfer several squadrons of A-24 Banshees from Pago Pago, which was now a beehive of activity in Samoa. The Americans already had a full Marine Regiment there, with several more on the water heading for that location. They were being covered by the Wasp and light carrier Shiloh, and with them would come a new battleship division sent all the way from the east coast, newcomers Washington, and the newly commissioned North Carolina.

These two ships were the first foray made by US designers into the art of the ‘fast battleship.’ The US had seen the Japanese building the Kongo class battlecruisers, and someone suggested they were intended to run with their carriers. Since all the older US battleships were too slow for such a role, the North Carolina Class was conceived. Originally designed to carry twelve 14-inch guns, the main armament was ‘upgraded’ when Japan reneged on the Washington Naval Treaty. So these new ships would now carry nine 16-inch guns, while still being able to make 28 knots, fast enough to stay with the carriers, or to serve as a formidable commerce raider. They were going to be over 45,000 tons full load, and the icing on the cake was the first appearance of the class of 39, the South Dakota.

A new class, this ship had corrected several shortcomings perceived in the North Carolinas, which would end their run with the Washington. They were given better underwater protection with the main belt extended well below the water line, and a double bottom. Conceived as a flagship vessel, the ship also got a new deck on the conning tower to make room for command staff, and in spite of the added weight, it still maintained a speed of 27 knots. South Dakota was to be the first of four in the class, and it was being delivered to the fleet about 90 days early, a much needed reinforcement.

So there was a method to the madness in those orders Halsey received from Fleet Headquarters. Nimitz was mustering all the muscle he had in the deep South Pacific. He was going to build a fast carrier group with Enterprise, Hornet, Wasp, and the light carrier Shiloh, and he was going to add considerably more firepower with the addition of these three new battleships. The Marines were all huddled aboard what was now being called “The Presidential Convoy” heading for Pago Pago. It was called this firstly because it sailed on Roosevelt’s direct order, and secondly because the transports that carried the troops all bore the names of past US Presidents.

With the 1st US Marine Division soon to arrive in Samoa, the US was going to have some punching power for their first real offensive of the war. The only question now was where that punch should be aimed. The Japanese were already wading into the shallows of the Solomon Island Group, though their presence there was strongest in the north on Bougainville. They had begun setting up a seaplane base at Tulagi, and put small survey detachments ashore at Lunga on Guadalcanal and a few other nearby islands, looking for the best places to build airfields.

Admiral King was eager to get in the fight, and largely responsible for making sure the 132nd Regiment got to Fiji as it did. Now he wanted his Marines to get busy, and flatly stated that to go anywhere other than Fiji would be most unwise.

“We need Fiji’s airfields and harbors, and now that the enemy is already there, that’s where we should hit them,” he said in a meeting of the Joint Chiefs.

“What about something a little more daring?” said Marshall. “The 132nd Regiment is already on Fiji, and we could hold our ground and keep the Japanese busy there. Then we could swing north and hit the New Hebrides. Take this island—” He fingered the big Island of Vanuatu, “right in the center of the board. In effect, we’d be outflanking the Japanese at both Fiji and Noumea once we got airfields and good air support established at Luganville. And from there we can also cover the Santa Cruz Islands and springboard into the lower Solomons. As serious as these penetrations are with the enemy on New Caledonia and Fiji, the Japs are out on a limb. If they want to supply those troops they’ll have to come down through the Solomon and Coral Seas, and from Luganville, we’d have a base that could keep a watch on both those approaches.”

“Right,” said King. “Then how do we keep Luganville supplied if the Japs have planes on both Fiji and Noumea? General, those bases have to be taken, no if, ands, or buts about it.”

It was going to be much debated before a decision would be reached, and the matter would eventually end up in Roosevelt’s lap again. At the moment, however, the fate of Fiji itself still rode in the whirlwind. It looked like Operation FS was going to be a complete success. Hara’s 5th Carrier Division had met and all but destroyed Fletcher’s Task Force in the Coral Sea. Port Moresby had been invaded and secured in five days, the base at Tulagi was unchallenged, and troops were already safely ashore on the main island of the Fiji Group.

“We have done all of this, I might add,” said Admiral Ugaki, “without any magic tricks by that ship out there.”

“Don’t underestimate them just yet,” said Yamamoto. “The situational awareness they provide has been most useful, even if it has not been necessary for them to use those advanced rocket weapons. I remind you that we can operate now with such impunity only because they have assured us no enemy task force is within striking range of our forces.”

“Where do you think those other enemy carriers have gone?” asked Ugaki.

“The losses they sustained in the Coral Sea had to shake them,” said Yamamoto. “It is my feeling that they were planning a two-pronged attack, only their left pincer was shattered by our 5th Carrier Division. We paid a price for that in losing the Soaring Crane, and now Lucky Crane has withdrawn to Rabaul, so the real effect of that battle was to remove all four carriers from the plotting table.”

“Yet we will have Zuikaku back in a week’s time,” said Ugaki.

“Yes, but there are still three American fleet carriers in the Pacific. I believe they will consolidate now, as they cannot afford to face us on even equal terms after this loss. The battle in the Coral Sea taught them that, so I find the silence after those raids in the Marshalls to be somewhat ominous.”

“That was nothing,” said Ugaki. “In fact, I believe those raids were meant as a mere diversion while that other American task force attempted to ambush us. Thankfully Hara’s pilots took care of that.”

Yamamoto nodded, but looked at the report on his desk detailing plane and pilot losses from the sinking of Shokaku. It could have been worse. Many on the ship were safely rescued at sea, and those in the air that survived the attack were able to land on Zuikaku. Yet we were perhaps one 500-pound bomb away from suffering the same disastrous loss the Americans took. What if they had hit Zuikaku’s flight deck? None of those planes would have been recovered, and I would be inscribing a good many more names on that plaque aboard Akagi.

So now we lose our second fleet carrier. Thankfully we will have Kaga back in service soon after her repair and refit. The Kido Butai remains strong in spite of these losses, but I must be very careful in the days ahead. The Americans are now like a coiled spring. They must strike us somewhere, and I must learn what they are planning. I do not think I will find the answer in the library aboard Takami. Everything here is now vastly different from that history. So we will fight it the old fashioned way, with blood and steel on the seas, and our brave pilots in the skies above. If the Americans do strike us soon, then we will see what this strange new ship can really do. The war may be decided on the outcome of the next major battle, and I must win it… or die trying.

Chapter 26

16 April, 1942

By the morning of the second day the situation on the north and west coast of the main island was starting to look grim. The Kiwis had fought hard, with the village of Lautoko north of Nandi changing hands twice in the long days fighting. The key factor, however, was the complete control of the sea and skies around the island. Japanese cruisers with powerful 8-inch guns were able to weigh in heavily on the fighting along the western shores, and by nightfall, the haggard Kiwis were starting to call Nandi Bay ‘Battleship Row.’ Kongo, Kirishima and Haruna had sat out there all day, pounding any location where they could get a good fire order from shore based spotters. Those heavy rounds were simply too much for the infantry to endure, and the New Zealanders were forced to withdraw into the heavily wooded interior to gain positions where the Japanese could not easily call in those guns.

The problem with that strategy was that all their stores and supplies had been in those positions along the coast. The Japanese now had all the ports on the west coast they had been after, clearing Nandi and Lautoka, and the Sakaguchi Regiment had secured Tavua in the north. Brigadier Robert Row had the 8th Brigade, and he huddled with Brigadier Lawrence Potter of 14th Brigade to see what could be done. Potter had been literally holed up in his underground communications center and headquarters at a place called ‘Black Rock,’ a fortified post hacked out of the stone by the Kiwi engineers a month earlier.

“We’ve lost our main objective,” said Potter. “Now that they’ve taken the aerodrome at Nandi, there’s nothing else of real military importance between here and Suva. The Yanks have some engineers in the south hammering out emergency airstrips along Queen’s Road, but we won’t do much good here, and not under those naval guns.”

“Agreed,” said Row. He had fought his battalions well, and would later become a tenacious factor in the battle for this island, so much so that the Americans came to respect and admire the Kiwis. They had once called the heart of the batting order for their beloved New York Yankees Murders Row, and now, after seeing the Kiwis fight, they started calling them “Row’s Murderers.” It had taken the entire Abe Detachment, reinforced with the 4th Yokosuka SNLF battalion and the 48th Cavalry Regiment to dislodge the New Zealanders from their positions around Nandi Bay, but now that fight was over.

“Look,” said Brigadier Row. “There’s only one good road inland to get us down to the south coast and Queen’s Road. We can’t sit here in the jungle. I say we get to that road and hoof it south. It’s our only play.”

“I hate to give up such plush accommodations,” said Potter looking around the roughly hewn cave site at Black Rock. “But I can’t see any other course of action.” So the orders were given to withdraw the New Zealand Brigades south and east. In effect, the only game in town now was going to be the vital port and airfields around Suva Bay, and that was all that would matter until significant reinforcements permitted offensive operations. Gone were the early days where the men would wallow in the mud of the cricket and football fields near Camp Namaka. Now the war had finally come to their island, and they were in it up to their hips.

It was going to be a long, hard trek inland to that road, and then difficult going in the higher country as it wound its way through the hills, following the course of the Singatana River to the south coast of the island. What was left of the garrison at the small Likuri Harbor would meet them at the mouth of that river near the village of Nayawa. That had been an American post, but General Krueger, the overall commander of all forces in Fiji and Samoa, had decided the position could be too easily outflanked by enemy troops coming down that road. So he sent an order to Patch to pull his troops out, the Regimental Engineers, and a battalion of Aviation Engineers that had been working on a small airstrip. They marched east along Queen’s road, which would follow the entire southern coast of the island all the way to Suva.

The Kiwis would follow the Yanks east along that road, and Krueger asked for a meeting with the two Brigadiers to coordinate the defense they now had to plan.

“We gave them a good fight,” said Potter, “but the thing is this, we had to be at every place along that coast that provided a suitable landing point, and they could pick and choose any spot they want, and then hit it with an entire regiment. By the time we moved in supporting troops, they were already well established ashore. It was just impossible to hold on the coast under that naval gunfire, so you end up withdrawing inland.”

“Well how do we avoid that down here?” asked Krueger.

“That’s easy enough—you need your damn navy to stop them if they come by sea. As long as they control the seas, you’ll always be looking over your shoulder wondering where they’ll put men ashore. Only a strong navy or air force presence can neutralize that advantage. Do that, and I think we can go toe to toe with them on the ground.”

“Well you just get your boys safely into our end of the island and I’ll see about that naval support.” Krueger was Army through and through, rising all the way from Private to his current rank of Major General. Born in Prussia in 1881, he had fought in the Spanish American War, and the Philippine American War that followed. In the first World War he was chief of staff for the US 84th Division, and later served in that same role in the Tank Corps. In training exercises known as “The Louisiana Maneuvers” in the States before the war, Krueger had requested the services of an enterprising staff officer to help him run his VII Corps, Colonel Dwight D. Eisenhower. He shined in those maneuvers, employing the very able services of another man with a fated path before him in this war, one George S. Patton, who was commanding the 2nd Armored Division at that time.

Yet it was MacArthur who would ask for Krueger to fight with him in the Pacific, in spite of his age of 60 years when the war broke out. In Fedorov’s history, Krueger would do exactly that, fighting his way “From Down Under to Nippon,” which became the title of his memoirs of the war. This time, his battles would begin right there on Fiji, and that journey would take him to some very unexpected places. A careful man, Krueger had a methodical style of command, taking risks only when they were necessary. If he had been a chess master, he would have favored positional play, building his strategy around his pawn structure, trading pieces in the middle game, and then playing the endgame like a machine to push one of those pawns home to become a Queen.

Here, in these Altered States, he would get his chance to ply his operational art, but at this early date in April of 1942, that endgame was very far away. In the world this one was born from, MacArthur once wrote a very fitting tribute to Krueger saying: “History has not given him due credit for his greatness. I do not believe that the annals of American history have shown his superior as an Army commander. Swift and sure in the attack, tenacious and determined in defense, modest and restrained in victory—I do not know what he would have been in defeat, because he was never defeated.”

So it was that the man who never tasted defeat would now face an army that had seen nothing but one successive victory after another. Another methodical man had stopped the Japanese briefly on the island of Singapore, this time it would be Krueger’s turn to see if he could stem the tide.

* * *

Nimitz was playing a very cagey game, but he was driving Admiral Halsey to utter frustration as he waited for the Cimarron to come on station for the planned replenishment operation. The Wasp and Shiloh were also still heading south, and so Halsey frittered and fretted through the 16th and 17th, topping off his destroyers, listening to reports of the ground action on Fiji, and getting more and more restless with each day. He wanted to get down there and give the defenders of Fiji something to cheer about, but Fleet HQ was adamant—no combat sortie was authorized until the task force had been strengthened with the arrival of the Wasp group under Captain John Reeves.

Orders were orders, whether you liked them or not, and Halsey chewed on the reins for another day, receiving one more signal clarifying what Nimitz wanted him to do. He was to replenish, screen the western approaches to Pago Pago, and then reorganize his task force for offensive operation after the arrival of Wasp. The Americans were waiting on those transports in the Presidential Convoy, waiting on those three shiny new fast battleships, and waiting on the Wasp. Decisions had been made higher up that while Fiji was clearly in jeopardy now, it was not yet in real danger of falling to the enemy. Krueger had the whole of the Pacifica Division there now, and therefore any real offensive would simply have to wait for the Marines to get sorted out on Pago Pago.

It was a strategy of necessity, for Nimitz could see no other viable option, and since the employment of his naval assets would be vital to any offensive the Army and Marines could plan, he had to husband those precious ships and planes, and preserve their striking power. The plan was to carry the enemy here through the middle rounds, lay on the ropes, stay out of reach of his strong right hand in that dangerous carrier force off Fiji—and it worked.

On the night of the 18th of April, Yamamoto met with Ugaki to consider their situation. The expected arrival of the remaining American carriers had not happened. 1st Carrier Division had hovered off Nandi Bay, pounded ground troops, the airfield and port at Suva, but now their own supply situation was going to force Yamamoto to make a decision.

“I believe the Americans have made a strategic withdrawal with their remaining carriers,” he said. “We have waited here three days, fulfilling our primary role in supporting the Army in this invasion. Now that they are well established ashore, our next consideration will be how to keep them supplied.”

“I have already spoken with 17th Army Headquarters,” said Ugaki. “The Tanaka Detachment is now formed up at Rabaul and preparing to get seaborne. It was necessary to wait for the return of the MO troop transports to provide the necessary sealift. Unfortunately, we lost several transports in that action off Port Moresby, two to enemy shore batteries, and a third was sunk by a submarine. To compensate for these losses, I have recalled the transports from Tulagi to Rabaul as well. That should give us the lift required to get Tanaka moving this way.”

“What is the situation on the ground?”

“We control the north and west coasts, several small ports and the airfields at Nandi and Momi. The enemy still holds the south and east coast, though they appear to be consolidating around Suva.”

“Were we wise to land where we did instead of making a direct attack against that port?”

“That was the Army’s choice. They believed that once ashore, Suva could be taken from the landward side. That remains the plan, and our forces are probing the enemy defenses to determine their strength.”

“Then the Tanaka Detachment will land at Nandi Bay?”

“Correct, but that can be re-evaluated later.”

“Yes, but we cannot wait here any longer. Our destroyers are thirsty, and we have used a good deal of aviation fuel and munitions in these ground support operations. It will be necessary to take 1st Carrier Division out of theater to replenish.”

“Now sir? But what about the American carriers?”

“What about them? Takami reports they have no sign of any threat within 500 miles, and they have flown off search missions with those helicopters of theirs equipped with advanced radar. The enemy has withdrawn.”

Ugaki narrowed his eyes. “They are undoubtedly waiting for us to do exactly what you propose.”

“That appears to be the case. The loss of those two carriers in the Coral Sea must have been very sobering. It is clear they were not willing to risk their remaining carriers in an engagement here after that. So we will leave tonight.”

“For Truk?”

“Rabaul. That is where Zuikaku has retired for minor repairs, and that ship should be ready for renewed operations by the time we arrive there. What is the timetable regarding the Tanaka Detachment?”

“They will need about five days to pack and load.”

“Very well. That will give us the time we need to get to Rabaul. I assume there are sufficient stores of fuel there?”

“They just received tanker support from Japan. That will not be an issue.”

“Good. Then our plan will be to reform the Kido Butai at Rabaul in five days time, then we will sortie as the covering force for Tanaka’s convoy. The Zuiho group will linger here one more day, then follow in our wake. Has the Shoji Detachment been sent to New Caledonia?”

“Not yet sir. It remains on Bougainville, until we can free up more shipping.”

Yamamoto smiled. “We make our plans to ride off on our carriers and battleships to find and defeat our enemies, but this war will be won or lost on the backs of those merchant ships. Thus far, this operation has gone very well. It is now ours to see that the troops we deliver get the supplies they need. Do not be deluded by the absence of the American carriers. There is more behind this than fear of engagement here, though that was certainly a factor in their thinking. They are building up as much strength as possible before they move. There is more going on than we may realize.”

“You suspect the Americans are planning an offensive?”

“What would you be planning under these circumstances? Naval intelligence has recently informed us that they now believe the Americans have at least three full divisions in this theater. One is here on Fiji, another is mustering in New Zealand, and the third is believed to be a unit composed of Naval Marines. If those troops are anywhere as good as our own SNLF battalions, then they are here for one reason—counterattack. I believe they will defend Fiji stubbornly, using the forces they have there like a shield, and these Marines—they are the sword.”

“Then it must be shattered,” said Ugaki.

“Yes, but to parry the blow I believe is coming, we must first know where they will strike. When I was on that ship, Ugaki, I saw things in their library that were very disturbing. I believe this unit is the 1st US Marine Division, and in the material I read, the Americans used it to counter our occupation of Guadalcanal in the lower Solomons.”

“Guadalcanal? Near our new seaplane base at Tulagi? We took that because it was the best anchorage in the Solomons. There is nothing on Guadalcanal but jungle and mosquitoes.”

“At the moment…” Yamamoto stared out the port hole, watching the play of the moonlight on the water. “Those books I read tell another story,” he said slowly. “There was an airfield built near Lunga, first by us, and then by the Americans after they captured it from us. They came to call it Henderson Field.”

“What? On Guadalcanal? They could never take that now. They have no logistical base close enough to sustain such an operation.”

“Perhaps so… But this 1st Marine Division landed there, and soon there were more than mosquitoes on that island. Our entire 2nd Division went there to try and throw them off, and was largely destroyed before we were eventually forced to… redeploy elsewhere. No, I will say it the way it was—until we were forced to withdraw.”

“That could never happen now, Admiral.”

“Are you so certain?”

Yamamoto stood up, hands clasped behind his back as he stared at the sea. “See that all ships in the task force receive orders to move at 22:00.”

Chapter 27

Major General Alexander A. Vandegrift was a quiet, soft spoken and self-effacing man for the role he would assume—commander of the US 1st Marine Division, now hastily assembling at Pago Pago in the Samoa Islands. Making Lieutenant in the Marines in 1909, he had seen his first combat three years later in Nicaragua, and at Vera Cruz in 1914. He then fought in the humid jungle and hill country of Haiti, chasing down the Caco Bandits while gaining much experience in special operations and jungle fighting.

His boys were here in the Pacific a full month early, the 5th Regiment arriving in early April, and now joined by the 1st and 7th Regiments on the Presidential Convoy. Instead of sailing to New Zealand, they had stopped right there in Samoa. The enemy was already on Fiji, and the excellent harbor at Pago Pago had to be defended, so there was no time for deployment to New Zealand and the six months of training Vandegrift thought he would have before the division went on the offensive.

Admiral King wanted action now, and his arguments that trying to send the Marines on a risky amphibious assault operation to a place like Espiritu Santo, or even Guadalcanal, as Marshall suggested was too dangerous to contemplate.

“We’re down to three fleet carriers,” he said. “You stick your neck out that far, and Halsey will have to linger in the invasion zone for days, which means there would be a strong likelihood of another fight with the enemy carriers that took down Fletcher. But have a look at the alternative: we’ve already got fresh planes arriving for Fiji. Halsey is there now, and with three new battleships to give him some more muscle. We control Suva, and the Marines can land right there. We also have airfields on Vanua Levu in close supporting range of any operation on Fiji’s main island. The Jap carriers have had to withdraw to replenish, and that gives us a window of opportunity that we simply cannot throw away. I say Halsey can take his entire carrier force down there, establish air superiority, and we can then get the Marines ashore there with little or no risk. We already have Patch and the entire 23rd Pacifica Division. You send in the Old Breed now in the 1st Marine Division, and we can send the Japs back to tell Tojo just how bad they got licked out there.”

Roosevelt listened, his pipe askance, dangling from his prominent jaw, and just the glint of satisfaction in his eyes. King was the fiery heart of the Navy, an irascible, abrasive and choleric man that was quick to anger, and often disliked by subordinates for that reason. King knew that of himself, but never apologized for it. “When the going gets tough,” he once said, “they send for the sons-of-bitches.” King filled the bill nicely.

“Then we’ll have Fiji,” King pressed on. “Then we’ll have a strong base to plan the offensive into the New Hebrides.”

“What about that Jap base at Tulagi?” Marshall reminded him.

“What about it? Naval Intelligence thinks the Japanese have no more than 3000 men in the lower Solomons, mostly service troops, and six seaplanes. Nimitz suggested we could send the 1st Raider Battalion there if need be, but I don’t see the threat. What I do see is a clear and present danger on Fiji. The Japs already have at least three regiments there, and you can bet more will be on the way. They’ve already got several airfields, and they can ferry in planes from Noumea. If we let them get dug in there, mark my words, we’re going to regret it. We have to hit them now, and with everything we have.”

“Are the Marines ready?” asked Roosevelt.

King smiled. “Always ready,” he said. “That’s the motto. And now the Presidential convoy has safely delivered the 1st and 7th Regiments to Pago Pago. I say we turn them loose on Fiji at the first opportunity, and I don’t want to hear any mealy mouthed talk about the boys needing training before they go in. They’ll learn the hard way, right there on Fiji.”

Roosevelt smiled. “Admiral,” he said. “I like your enthusiasm. We’ve sat on our heels for nearly six months now, and that business in the Coral Sea was a warning—we could lose this thing if we don’t do something to stop the other fellow. So I’m inclined to agree with you. I think Fiji should be the target, and you have my full authorization to proceed as soon as possible.”

“Thank you, Mister President. You won’t regret that decision, I assure you.”

“Just assure me that you’ll kick the Japanese off Fiji, and I’ll be more than happy.”

So the die was cast, and the target of the first US ground offensive of the war was now set in stone—Fiji, not Guadalcanal, and it would come much sooner, in later April instead of August. Vandegrift was worried he could not get his troops ready, but realizing he had a harbor to debark at Suva was a big plus.

“We’ve only got amphibious assault craft to lift one regiment, and so I intend to use it on that northeast coast. The other regiments can make the run into Suva Bay, and this time the navy had better be there.”

The General did not have to worry about that, King assured him. Another son-of-a-bitch was on the scene, and Halsey was itching to get into this fight. With new orders finally within his grasp, Halsey was ready to go. On the night of April 25th, he was authorized to proceed to ‘seize control of the sea and airspace around the Fiji Island Group, neutralize enemy controlled airfields on Viti Levu, and assure the safe landing and transport of elements of the 1st US Marine Division.’ He was only too happy to comply.

* * *

Far to the north, the heavy rounded bow of the icebreaker Siberiakov was slowly churning its way through the remnants of the pack ice in the Sea of Okhotsk. The ship was working with the Oktyabr, Krasin and Yermak, all ships “borrowed” from the Soviet Northern Fleet for this mission. Together they were able to forge a pathway wide enough to permit the transports behind them to follow slowly in their icy wake.

It was a very hazardous mission, undertaken at night in the dark of the moon to minimize the possibility of discovery. The watchmen strained to see ahead, trying to spot hidden bergs in the floes of pack ice. They would bob up and down sometimes hidden beneath the water. Others watched the dark starlit skies, fearing the would be found and attacked by Japanese planes on lower Sakhalin Island. Vladimir Karpov had told the Captains not to worry about that, but many of these men had never seen Kirov in action, and knew very little about the ship or its astounding capabilities.

Kirov had re-entered the Sea of Othotsk for this escort mission, for behind those icebreakers the precious transport fleet was carrying a full regiment of the Siberian 32nd Rifle Division, the strongest reinforcement yet for the small airborne force that had been lifted months earlier by Airship. No enemy naval presence was expected, but the ship was there to prevent any possible attack by enemy aircraft the following morning, once the landing had been reported to the enemy further south. Ice in the narrow channel between Sakhalin and the mainland was still too heavy in the north, but on the eastern coast, it had been thinning enough to allow for this daring surprise attack.

As much as the Japanese might have expected the enemy to come, this was not a night for war in the icy north. The Siberians had made no attempt to push south from the small enclave they controlled at the northernmost segment of the island, but Karpov wanted a port, no matter how small, and the only facility in any way suitable was the small port of Okha. That was where those icebreakers were heading that night, with the wind up, a frigid chill in the air, and cold darkness as thick as the ice fog that drifted in a frosty haze over the floes.

At that same moment, Vladimir the Young was also leading a flotilla of airships south. Their objective was any enemy airstrip that had been cleared by the Japanese late last fall, before the ice and snow made operations there impossible. They were carrying another wave of Karpov’s elite Air Guardsmen, and a key objective was the eastern landward approach to the vital ferry site near Lazarev. That was not only another viable port on the west coast of the island, but also the primary link between Northern Sakhalin and the mainland. Companies of Cossack irregulars were loping out of the heavy woodlands, also heading for that location on the mainland side of the channel. The plan was to seize that ferry before the Japanese even knew it was under attack.

The airships hovered like vast sea creatures over the frozen white landscape, every gun port manned, and the Oko panels ceaselessly turning to look for any sign of the enemy in the dark starry skies. Long cold ropes extended like tentacles from the looming beasts, and down them came the leading edge of the Air Guard, all dressed in snow parkas, their rifles and submachine guns slung over their backs. The sub-cloud cars were creaking in the cold as they lowered on coiled steel cables laden with skis and equipment for the troops.

The tough Naval Marines that had landed months earlier to secure the small enclave in the north were now up from their fortified border positions and moving stealthily forward. Before the sun would rise in the white morning haze, Karpov would have units in motion all over Northern Sakhalin Island. He would seize that port, cut the rail line further south, secure three airstrip sites, and the vital Lazarev Ferry. In doing so, he would also cut off the site where Japanese oilfield engineers were laboring to drill through the frozen ground to find that much needed oil.

The attack was coming a full month before the Japanese ever thought it could be mounted. Once again, Tojo and the High Command had completely underestimated the Siberians capabilities, and the sudden invasion, along with an unexpected development on Fiji, was now going to force Admiral Yamamoto to make a very difficult decision.

* * *

Halsey had moved as ordered, slipping down to the Fijis and sending his considerable air wing in to pound the Japanese. A squadron of planes that had been flown off the Hiyo to Noumea the previous January were the unlucky group that met the American Wildcats. There were only 12 A5M Claudes in the fighter group, and an equal number of D3A Vals up that day, and they were going to run into Lt. Gray and Fighting 6 off the Enterprise. The US carriers now enjoyed a windfall with many pilots recovered from the Lexington the previous year off Hawaii. One of them was Lieutenant Gordon Firebaugh, a competent flyer with a knack for making smart evasive maneuvers to foil enemy gun passes, and then getting after them with his own MGs in short order.

Firebaugh led a section of VF-6 that had some very other talented pilots, including Machinist Donald Runyon, who knew his plane inside and out, from the engine to the hydraulics and every moving part. It was as if his inherent knowledge of the machine itself translated into knowhow in using it. He seemed to know just how fast he could make a turn, when to best apply flaps, and how much power to give the engine. He was going to be one of the very best in VF-6, and started making his first kills that day against those Claudes. Lt. Lou Bauer was also up that day, a man who was in line to succeed Grey as the Squadron Leader. He and his wing mate Howard Packard were eager to find some action.

When they encountered the thin enemy CAP over Nandi, the Americans had a feast, downing 4 Claudes in little time and sending the rest home. The bombing that followed made that landing a hazardous one, and any of the AM5s that had been on station took an equal pounding from the SBD pilots. Airfields were easy targets, and the US planes put over twenty holes in the runway near Nandi. In a matter of 45 minutes, Halsey had put that base, and most of the planes there, out of commission.

The enemy air threat dealt with, the SBD’s soon went to work on the port facilities near Nandi Bay. The last of the Japanese transports were already well out to sea, escorted by heavy cruisers Mogami and Maya, but that was the only Japanese naval surface threat still around the islands. When they learned that enemy carrier planes were attacking at Nandi Bay, the only wise thing they could do was continue withdrawing to Noumea at their best speed. Two damaged transports that had been beached along the shore were also going to remain there permanently. What was left of the docks and quays there and at the smaller port of Tauva to the north were blasted apart and set on fire. The old shore battery positions once occupied by the Kiwis got another good working over, and any concentration of Japanese troops, tents, or vehicles were all fair game.

The appearance of this overwhelming air power was quite a boost to the morale of the disheartened Kiwi forces that had made the long retreat to the southern coast. They had been grumbling that the Americans seemed to always be one step ahead of them, falling back towards Suva. “The Yanks haven’t got the stomach for this,” said one Sergeant—until he saw those beautiful blue planes come in, wings wagging, and the bombs whistling down on the enemy behind them.

To make matters worse for the enemy, the US battleships and escorting cruisers were authorized to make a visit to the enemy that night. In a reverse of the fate suffered by the Marines on Guadalcanal, enduring the pounding by Japanese battleships which came down the Slot each night, now it was the enemy taking the beating from those big new 16-inch guns. After this heavy one-two punch on the 26th and 27th of April, the Japanese could say they still held most of the western portion of Viti Levu, but the facilities and airfields they had come to capture, the bases they would need to support and sustain operations, had been badly damaged.

Halsey and the Navy had taken the fight right to the enemy, and it felt good to be dishing it out instead of receiving for a change. And ready or not, Vandegrift now had three regiments of Marines on the Presidential Convoy, and they were heading for Suva Bay. Once ashore, they would nearly double the Allied troop strength on the ground, and soon the hunters would become the hunted. The hardened Japanese troops were about to encounter much stiffer odds than they expected, but they were still intent on continuing their offensive operation.

That was both a common trait and shortcoming when Japanese land operations were concerned. The seasoned Army troops and their commanders had tasted nothing but one victory after another. The men of the Abe Detachment, for example, had first become veterans in China, where their division gained a reputation for ferocity and atrocity. They then bested one US and Pilipino unit after another on the Philippines, and easily subdued the Dutch on Java when they stormed ashore near Surabaya. They were tough troops, offensive minded, and with a preference for infiltrating, enfilading and attacking, even against positions that had not been well scouted.

If the Japanese had known that there was already a full US division at Suva, and that it was about to be reinforced by the Old Breed in a matter of days, they might have hesitated and begun digging in to fixed fortifications. Yet at this point in the war, the Japanese had literally ‘nothing to fear.’ They were soon about to learn that these US divisions were going to be well armed, well led, and determined to reverse the sliding fortunes of the Allied cause in this war. The Japanese had thought they were playing their endgame to a sure and certain conclusion with this invasion. The pawns the US had husbanded throughout the early months of the war were still green, but they were now about to be crowned and become powerful new and unexpected forces on the board.

Part X

High Tide

“When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.”

― Harriot Breecher Stowe

Chapter 28

Yamamoto sat at the head of the conference table, a gathering of several key officers meeting aboard Yamato to determine the next phase of the operational planning for Fiji-Samoa. Admiral Hara was present, to report on the recently concluded Coral Sea action, and General Hitochi Imamura of the 8th Area Army was also joined by Lieutenant General Harukichi Hyakutake of the 17th Army. Admiral Ugaki sat in the fourth chair, a heavy sheaf of reports and papers on the table in front of him.

“Gentlemen,” said Yamamoto. “It appears we have a situation developing on two fronts now, and with limited resources to commit to a possible solution to this problem. We have long expected that the enemy would eventually attempt a counterattack. Now it seems we have that at both ends of the rope, and here we sit in the middle.

“I have just received a report from Tokyo,” said Imamura, who was charged with representing the overall interests of the Army for both fronts, since no one else from Tokyo could arrive at Rabaul on such short notice. “Thus far, the enemy landings on Sakhalin are not substantial. Karafuto Command has ordered two battalions of the 25th Infantry Brigade north to reinforce the garrison troops there, but the Army believes the current conditions at sea will still prohibit any major movement of additional enemy forces. That said, they are again not happy that this additional incursion was permitted to proceed unchallenged by the Navy, and they have asked me to formally request stronger naval support in the event additional enemy landings should be forthcoming.”

That sounded suspiciously like the Army again blaming the Navy for what had just happened on Sakhalin, but Yamamoto did not wish to see this meeting become a finger pointing game. “The Navy is more than willing to begin active operations in the north,” he said. “The carrier Kaga will complete its refit within the week, and it will join Tosa for deployment north. I am not sure how many army planes have been assigned to Karafuto Command, but that carrier division will raise the stakes considerably. Admiral Ugaki?”

By prearranged signal, Ugaki would now convey the details. “Combined Fleet is allocating Battleship Division 1 to accompany this carrier force, which will be composed of our two newest battleships, Satsuma and Hiraga. Nagato is also on station in the north, but it will be retained at Yokohama. Cruiser Division 3, with Atago, Takao and Tone will depart Rabaul immediately and return to home waters, to join the six light cruisers already stationed there, and there are adequate numbers of destroyers available for duty in the north. Vice Admiral Kurita will also bring the cruisers Mikuma and Mogami from his 7th Division, but leave Furutaka at Rabaul.”

“Then no more than two carriers and two battleships will be committed?” Imamura had a checklist he was to run down, and the Army had asked him to lean on things here with his considerable weight. Yet owing his life to the Navy, and having concluded a very cordial meeting with Yamamoto earlier, he was proceeding very diplomatically. “It was suggested that since Karafuto borders one of the home islands, a much stronger naval presence should be allocated to the north.”

“Not possible,” said Ugaki, without any deference to niceties. “The recent and most unfortunate loss of Shokaku in the Coral Sea has left us one carrier light in the south, and now we receive reports of strong enemy carrier action against our landings in the Fiji Island Group. It appears they waited until the Kido Butai was withdrawn, being too cowardly to face us directly after Admiral Hara sunk two of their carriers in the Coral Sea.” Ugaki had seen old King Kong Hara shift uncomfortably when he first mentioned the loss of Shokaku, so now he correctly gave him face.

“Well how many enemy carriers are you facing in the south?”

“We believe there are at least three, as a new ship transited the Panama Canal two weeks ago. They must be challenged and destroyed.”

Now General Hyakutake spoke. “Then you intend to proceed with the movement of the remaining detachments of the 48th Division?”

“Assuming the Army has no objection,” said Ugaki. “That division was assigned in whole to support Operation FS. Thus far only the Abe Detachment has landed in the Fijis. The delay in getting the remaining two regiments from Java compelled us to commit the Sakaguchi Detachment that was previously scheduled to reinforce Noumea. I assume additional forces are now ready to move?”

“The Tanaka Detachment has already been assigned shipping, which took some time to accumulate here in Rabaul.” Hyakutake wanted to make certain no blame would be laid at the Army’s feet with that remark, and Ugaki did not fail to perceive the defensive tone in his voice.

“Regretfully,” said Yamamoto, “all these operations have taxed available shipping, but the outcomes have been more than satisfactory. The capture of Port Moresby was most welcome news, and we are now well established on the main Fiji island. We have learned, however, that there are considerable enemy forces in theater. Admiral Ugaki has the latest report.”

It had come, in fact, directly from an enterprising Executive Officer aboard Takami. Lieutenant Commander Fukada had sought to enrich his relationship with Ugaki by secretly sending him information on the probable buildup of Allied forces in Australia and New Zealand. Now Ugaki could reveal this to the Army for the first time, and present it as if it were the latest intelligence garnered by the Navy.

“We already know that two American divisions are now stationed on the Australian mainland. But there are forces composing at least two other divisions in theater, one from their army, and a second from their Marine Corps. Given that our recent successful landing on Fiji will be most alarming, we see the need for an additional commitment by the Army in the South.” There it was, the subtle request, but it was met by the same cold frankness that Ugaki had offered earlier.

“Not possible,” said Imamura, senior to Hyakutake and also representing the Army High Command in Tokyo. “And I regret that I am much to blame for that. The loss of our 2nd Division in Western Java was most unfortunate, though who could have foreseen the eruption of that volcano? I suspect, in fact, that it has much to do with the problems now faced by both the Army and Navy. We lost good troops there, and the Navy suffered considerably when all those transports were destroyed. This was an act of the Gods, and therefore no blame should come to either side, but that does not allow me to miraculously produce yet another division for operations here in the South.”

“Any more than we can miraculously produce another fleet carrier for operations in the north,” said Ugaki.

Before this polite, but firm exchange escalated, Yamamoto spoke again. “Gentlemen. Here we face the situation I warned about earlier—a two front war.”

“Don’t forget Burma,” said Admiral Hara with a grim smile.

“Quite correct.” Everyone else nodded. “So we really have a war on three fronts now, and limitations on the forces available to deal with the situation. The Navy has now lost two fleet carriers; the Army has lost an infantry division. Yet in spite of these setbacks, we have done much harm to the enemy. So let us be realistic now. I understand General Yamashita has been sent to deal with the Siberians?”

“He has been given command of the Amur-Urajio District, with the 8th, 14th and 28th Infantry Divisions pulled from duty in Manchuria and Mongolia. But they cannot move to resolve the situation in the Karafuto Province unless the Navy provides sealift. Otherwise, all they can do is sit on the Amur River Line in a defensive role, which is not what the Army desires. And as long as we are remembering Burma, I must also point out that Karamushiro must be retaken at the earliest opportunity, and again, it will require the Navy in strong support.”

“We have no reservations about providing that support,” said Ugaki. “It is simply a matter of timing. At the moment, we have just been told that the Army does not believe any substantial enemy reinforcement can develop in Karafuto. And we have just informed the Army that the enemy strength in the South is much greater than the planners for Operation FS anticipated. It is therefore our belief that forces already assigned to Karafuto should be sufficient to hold the enemy in check. The Navy will cover any movement of additional troops by sea from Hokkaido or Urajio, and we have allocated forces we deem sufficient for that purpose.”

“What? By sending no more than three additional cruisers? All the other ships you mentioned are already assigned to the north.”

Ugaki reddened a bit, and pressed on. “What about the South? That battle is already underway, and the enemy is obviously intending to fight. The single division assigned is now thought to be inadequate by the Navy, particularly if our latest intelligence is proven to be true. The valor and ability of our troops are not in question here, but I must point out that the forces allocated would be outnumbered four to one.”

“Surprising information,” said Imamura, seeming to diffuse the exchange. “The Army Chiefs were not aware that the enemy buildup had progressed to that level, and I can assure you that I will request a full investigation from Army Intelligence to confirm this.”

That was a double edged statement. On the one side, Imamura seemed to be grateful for the recent Navy intelligence concerning the Allied buildup; on the other, he was calling it into question by suggesting the Army needed to confirm it. Which side of that blade he really intended to cut with was anyone’s to guess, but he said this with a conciliatory tone, further masking the fact that he had clearly looked the gift horse in the mouth where Ugaki’s intelligence was concerned. This was the subtle ebb and flow of Japanese manners, where things were said and expressed in roundabout ways, while everyone present knew what each man there was really suggesting.

“May I interject one thing here,” said 17th Army Commander Hyakutake. “I suppose it is yet another matter for Naval Intelligence, but we have heard some very strange rumors of late at Rabaul. The first concerns a new Siberian ship that the men on the quays have now come to call Mizuchi.”

That fell like a stone into a quiet pool of water, and everyone at the table waited to see where the ripples would go before Yamamoto finally spoke again.

“Mizuchi… Yes, we have not only heard of this ship, but we have also seen the direct evidence of its alarming capabilities. Neither of you may yet know this, but our carrier, the Hiryu, was not sunk because of any damage it sustained during the Pearl Harbor operation. I know this is what the Army may believe, but it is false. That ship was sunk by this Mizuchi you mention, and with a very advanced weapon that the Navy is much concerned about.”

“Then the rumors are true?”

“The rumors are rumors,” said Yamamoto. “What I am telling you is the truth. Mizuchi exists, and it is very dangerous. But the Navy is taking the measure of this ship, and I can assure you that we will deal with it.”

“I see,” said Imamura. “Would such measures have anything to do with the demonstration that took place at Davao recently?”

Again, the silence, and this time Ugaki seemed quite flustered to realize the Army knew what had happened there, but before he said anything more, he looked at Yamamoto.

“Davao…” said Yamamoto. “Yes, I suppose it would be too much to think such a test could be conducted without the Army knowing about it. Well gentlemen, the Navy has operations, plans, ships, equipment that the Army may not yet measure. I said we will deal with this Mizuchi, and we will. But let me impress upon you both that operational secrecy is most important. As far as both of you should be concerned, nothing whatsoever happened at Davao. Understand?”

He said that with the full weight of his considerable reputation and rank, and both Imamura and Hyakutake understood the warning he was giving them. Yamamoto waited briefly, then continued. “So we will be sending more than three cruisers north to join our naval forces already in theater there—but let us not speak further of this.”

After a sufficient pause, Ugaki continued to press for additional Army support for Operation FS. “Considering that we are now fully committed to resolving matters in the north, can the Army provide us with any further troops in the South?”

Imamura’s eyes narrowed. He had been on a most unusual ship, he now realized, rescued by it at sea. Yet the more he thought about that time, the more suspicious he became. The Captain and crew were dressed strangely, as though they were some secret new branch of the Navy. He realized now that they were making great efforts to keep him confined in the sick bay, and that their maneuver to deliver him to the meeting with Yamamoto was not entirely on the up and up. A few discrete inquiries revealed the truth of that to him. There had been no order by the Army Chiefs that he come to meet Yamamoto at Davao. That had all been quietly arranged by the Navy. And when he saw that most interesting demonstration in the bay off Davao…

Now his quick mind began to realize that something most unusual was afoot here. The Navy had a new ship—a secret ship. His inquiries had also revealed that it was not even on the register of active vessels, and so he assumed it must be a top secret command unit, or weapons development project.

So, the Navy is really worried about this new Siberian ship, he thought quickly. In fact, they are indeed going to send more than three cruisers north to deal with it. How I would love to be on that strange ship that rescued me when it does sail north to battle, for clearly this is what Admiral Yamamoto was suggesting. And he looked directly at me, the senior Army officer here, as he said that. So I think I must oblige him in exchange.

“Considering the gravity of these operations,” he said to Yamamoto directly, “I think we can come to some agreement here. General Nishimura is still sitting on Singapore under all that ashfall with the Army he inherited from General Yamashita. He has both the 18th Division and his Imperial Guards Division on the main island now, and that is more than enough to manage that situation. Therefore…. It would seem that the 5th Division, whatever remains of it, would be available.” He smiled.

Yamamoto returned the smile, and with an ever so subtle nod of his head. “Yes,” he said quietly, reaching for his white dress gloves. “I think we can come to an agreement.”

Chapter 29

That same evening Yamamoto summoned the senior officers from Takami to confer with them on the situation and issue new orders. Harada and Fukada met him in that same stateroom aboard Yamato, and were soon surprised to learn what he had in mind.

“We are now facing two enemy operations,” he began, “one in the north, and a second aimed at reinforcing Fiji in the south. We have spoken with the Army to see about obtaining additional forces for Operation FS, and an agreement was reached. The Tanaka Regiment of the 48th Division is boarding transports as we speak and it is my intention to depart Rabaul and lead the Kido Butai south again immediately.”

“Very well,” said Harada. “Takami is ready to accompany you.”

“That will not be necessary. In fact, I have new orders for you. The situation in the north has changed. Last night the Siberians staged another surprise landing in the far north of Kira Karafuto province. It was not a substantial landing, but we believe they delivered a reinforced regiment there, and have every intention of pushing south to increase their lodgment. The Army has sufficient forces on the island to respond, but it will soon become necessary to send additional forces from Hokkaido. Your mission will be to assure that these troops arrive safely.”

“I see,” said Harada. “Where will they come from?”

“Sapporo—elements of our 7th Division, which now garrisons Hokkaido. We could move them by land to Wakkanai in the North Cape area, but that is a fairly small port. The facilities at Sapporo are better suited to receive the shipping required, and boarding transports there was deemed a safer option by the Army.”

“A safer option?” Fukada heard more in that. “Then you expect that any cross channel operation from Wakkanai in the Soya Strait would be opposed?”

“That possibility was suggested, though it is only a hundred miles or so from that port to Rutaka or Otomari on Karafuto. It is more than twice that distance from Sapporo, but all in waters we have controlled for decades. The threat, however, may be real, and you have already told me of this Siberian ship you believe is from the same time you claim to come from. While I still find all of this too fantastic to contemplate, I have accepted the reality of your presence here, and already seen the damage that can be inflicted by these new rocket weapons you possess. Therefore, I want you to provide fleet area defense for the main reinforcement operation for Karafuto.”

“You believe this Russian ship will attempt to intervene?”

“That will have to remain a strong possibility. The enemy knows what he is about, and also knows the countermeasures we must take if we are to foil him. He knows we must move troops by sea, and it is therefore logical to expect he will take this into consideration. You have told me the man who now leads the Free Siberian State is not a man of our time, and that his ship is the most powerful vessel in the world. Our own sailors now speak of it in hushed whispers. They call it Mizuchi, a sea demon from the old lore. This ship must be opposed, and if your vessel is capable of the task, then that is now your assignment. You will sail tonight with three heavy cruisers led by our most able Admiral Kurita. I have briefed him on this mission, and appointed him overall commander of the Northern Fleet that will now be assembled for this operation. Any questions?”

Harada noted that Yamamoto never asked them whether they wished to take on this assignment, or even if Takami was indeed capable of performing the task he had in mind. Those were questions that were still playing in the Captain’s own mind, but Fukada spoke first.

“Then you will go south to face the Americans alone? Shouldn’t we make certain they are defeated in the south before we turn to the north?”

Yamamoto smiled, dismissing the effrontery of this young officer, for he already was well aware of his mind on this war. Few officers would have dared to question what was such an obvious order, and without so much as a ‘with all due respect, sir.’ This man is headstrong, he thought, but he is also a fighter.

“It will not be possible to throw a stone in two directions at once,” he said quietly. “So I take the Kido Butai in my hand now to face the Americans as I might have in the history books in your ship’s library. Only this time we will not fight over a meaningless speck in the center of the Pacific like Midway. This time we will fight to secure and preserve our landing on Fiji, and to continue with Operation FS as it was envisioned. As soon as we withdrew to replenish, the American fleet moved in and gave our troops down there a good pounding. The small air squadron we posted at Nandi was simply not capable of opposing their naval air power. Only the Kido Butai can do that. Now I will go and see if they still wish to do battle at sea. Zuikaku has completed minor repairs, and it will join Akagi and Soryu, along with the light carriers Zuiho and Shoho. I have asked the Army for additional troops, and they were forthcoming. They have, in turn, asked me for something.”

“Naval support in the north,” said Harada.

“Correct. You cautioned me earlier concerning the capabilities of this Siberian ship. Now you will see to the matter, though you will not sail alone. The carrier Tosa is on permanent station in the north, and it is moving to Yokohama tonight. Kaga has also completed its refit, and those two ships will be designated Carrier Division 2. Admiral Kurita will add a cruiser division to that force, which will also include two of our newest fast battleships, and additional destroyers in support. I want your ship to sail with the covering force, protect it, defend the troop convoy, and ensure a safe landing on Karafuto. After that, further offensive operations will likely be necessary.”

This time it was Harada who heard more in that than there seemed at first blush. “Additional offensive operations?”

“The enemy is operating from Magadan in the far north. The currents there leave an ice free channel leading to that port. It must be neutralized to stem the flow of supplied and troops to the forces they have landed on Kira Karafuto. Beyond that, there is the matter of lower Kanzantochi. An operation will eventually be planned to retake the port that was lost earlier this year. For the moment, the reinforcement of Karafuto will suffice—and the matter of this Siberian ship.”

Now the Admiral was quiet for a moment looking the men over, taking their measure. “Do you have any reservations concerning these orders?”

Harada shook his head. “No sir. The Russians were no friend to Japan, even in 2021. In fact, our Navy routinely drilled to oppose them in the Sea of Japan. We were at war with them when our ship was recalled north to home waters. Unfortunately, we did not make it home, but here we are, and here we also find a Russian ship from our time making war on Japan. So I can say, without reservation, that my ship and crew will do everything possible to neutralize this ship.”

“That is good to hear, but now I have one last question. Can you stop this ship?” That was the real point of this discussion, finally asked directly, and Harada noted there was just the hint of uncertainty in Yamamoto’s voice.

“Mister Fukada?” The Captain was going to let his XO speak to their chances.

“Sir, our missiles are fully capable of intercepting and shooting down the weapons this ship can employ. That said, our ship is configured more for fleet defense than it is for offense. We have only eight missiles that were designed for use as anti-ship weapons. The rest were largely designed to defeat enemy aircraft and incoming missiles. To answer you directly—yes, I believe we can successfully defend the fleet, though our chances of inflicting real harm on the enemy are not as good.”

“Explain,” said Yamamoto, arms folded, and very curious as to how two ships with these new weapons might fight one another.

“Sir, in our day the element of first contact is very important, even as it is now. In this, we may have a slight edge on the enemy radars. They are good, but I believe our equipment is superior. Once detected, missile salvoes are fired in a relatively large group to maximize the chances of obtaining a critical hit. Any hit, in fact, will do great harm to the enemy, or to our own ship should we fail to stop each and every incoming missile.”

“Interesting,” said Yamamoto. “Then you cannot sustain hits and still continue fighting, as this ship might easily do?”

“That will depend on what we were hit with, but these missiles are very deadly. I believe you already know that from the damage inflicted on Hiryu. Our ship would fare no better if struck by a missile.”

“I see… Thus in many ways, Takami might be thought of as an aircraft carrier, but one with a very small squadron of offensive strike planes, and a large number of fighters. Am I correct?”

“The analogy is good,” said Fukada.

“Yet you will have the element of surprise this time.”

“Possibly,” said Fukada, hedging his bet. “The enemy will not expect our presence here, but they still have the capability of detecting our electronics. Their ship has the ability to detect and analyze electronic emissions, and even relate them to existing ship types that might utilize such equipment.”

“So you are saying they might hear your ship, if that analogy is correct, and then determine who and what you are by simply listening?”

“Correct sir, but they will first have to believe what their ears are telling them. In that interval, between their interception of a signal, and their conclusion about it, lies our chance for surprise.”

“And the enemy ship… They have more missiles than Takami?”

“If this is a standard loadout for a Kirov Class battlecruiser, then they will have at least 20 SSMs—a designation we give to ship killing missiles. Some of these have already been used to strike our ships, but let us assume they will have at least 16 remaining.”

“Twice as many as your ship.”

“Correct sir, and it might be fair to say that the Russian missiles are quite good—perhaps better than our own SSM design. Yet we will have at least 70 fighters to stop those 16 strike planes, to continue with your analogy. I believe our chances are very good.”

“And can they stop your missiles?”

Fukada took a deep breath. “Sir, their chances are also very good in that.”

“I understand,” said Yamamoto. “Of course, the God of Chance must always have his say. Things in war seldom go as we might expect.”

“There is one other consideration sir,” said Fukada. “If we do lock horns with this Mizuchi, then it may be necessary to expend a considerable portion of our missile inventory to do battle effectively.”

“Of course.”

“Well sir, please realize that we cannot replenish or replace any weapon we use. Once these planes are launched, these missiles fired, they go to their sure and certain death, much like our Kamikaze pilots.”

“Kamikaze? Ah, yes, I read of this in your ship’s library. I suppose that is a very good analogy.”

“I mention this because the aid we can provide is therefore limited. We could surprise and put serious damage on these last remaining American carriers. Or we might successfully protect this operation planned for the north, but as you have said, we cannot throw a stone in two directions.”

Yamamoto nodded. This man wants to go south, he realized. He would prefer the clear superiority his ship has against forces from this time. He believes the surprise and shock his ship could deliver to the Americans might be decisive… But I prefer to handle that myself. The Americans I can face on equal terms, and then, may the better man win. This Mizuchi… it is a demon from hell, and I would only waste my forces in trying to find and oppose it. That is a task their ship was designed for, and so that is what they will do. He did not waste any further breath explaining this to Fukada, but simply repeated his orders, an air of finality evident in his tone.

“Gentlemen,” he said. “You sail tonight. Join Admiral Kurita’s Cruiser Squadron. Protect the fleet. Stop this Russian ship… And may the Thunder Gods go with you.”

“Very good sir,” said Harada. “We will do our best.”

The only question in the Captain’s mind was whether their best would be good enough. He could see what Yamamoto was doing here, his mind grasping the same logic that the Admiral had run down in his own thinking. Takami was born and bred to do what Yamamoto was now ordering, in this era or in their own time.

He had listened to Fukada’s explanations, and was satisfied with them. The best we might hope for up north is a stalemate, he thought. But even that would be good enough to complete the mission the Admiral is handing us. We signed on to protect and defend Japan? Well, I’ll admit I had reservations before when it came to cutting down the Americans from this era. It just seemed so underhanded, though this Karpov certainly had no qualms about turning his missiles on our ships.

Perhaps I can use that—the other fellow’s hubris could be something I can take advantage of. We will have that single edge in this thing—the element of surprise. Yet they have a lot of muscle on that battlecruiser, and a man at the helm that had no reservations of his own when he faced down the US 7th Fleet… My God, that was just a few weeks ago, but now it won’t happen for eighty years—if it ever happens at all. Everything we do here is shuffling the card deck. Our own future history may not look anything like the time we lived in. Thinking about that is somewhat frightening. Have they considered any of this? If they have, it hasn’t stayed their missile fire orders. I’m going to have to be just as tough in this situation.

The Captain was thinking he had a fairly good chance in the fight up north. Yet neither he, nor his executive officer, had any idea that Kirov had departed Severomorsk with her magazines burgeoning with reloads. The ship had intended to use live ordnance for those exercises in the Norwegian Sea, and then still have a full bar after the party was over. But they had never fired those rounds off, and so Fukada’s math was just a little off that day.

Kirov had better than a two-to-one advantage in SSMs. In fact, instead of 16 SSMs as Fukada had explained, the ship was carrying 37 of the dread Moskit IIs, with 20 of those crated in a deep interior magazine. It also had seven more P-900s and another ten MOS-IIIs. Kirov would therefore enjoy a six-to-one advantage in ship killing missiles, but Fukada did not know that. To make matters worse, the ship possessed another 20 torpedoes, twice as many as Takami had. On defense, the Russian ship still had 61 of the superb S-300 long range SAMs, 127 of the Klinok Gauntlet type missiles, and 64 of the short range Kashtan system missiles, a three-to-one advantage in SAMs. Kirov was, without any doubt, the undisputed champion of the world when it came to a surface action ship. Fukada had said nothing of another weapon deep within the maw of Mizuchi, a breath of fire and destruction that had not yet been seen in this half of the world. Kirov had nukes…

Yet as Yamamoto had warned, the Gods of Chance must have their say, and there were also weapons and systems aboard Takami that the Russians were not aware of—and the fact that they would never expect that ship to be present in 1942 would also go a long way towards balancing the odds.

That night, Takami departed Rabaul as ordered, cruising with Admiral Kurita, who was now deemed their nominal superior officer. They had joined the Japanese navy to protect and defend Japan, and that was what they were now setting off to do.

Chapter 30

Eager to get in to the action after joining the Halsey Group, the Wasp went south immediately, joining in on the strikes made against the Japanese lodgment. On the 28th of April it was detached to rendezvous with a tanker and refuel, temporarily reducing TF-16 to only two fleet carriers. After having pounded the facilities lost to the Japanese at Nandi, the powerful US battlegroup also withdrew east to Pago Pago, more to replenish ammunition than fuel. Halsey kept station north of Viti Levu, but coastwatchers and PBY sightings soon confirmed that the Japanese carriers were again heading south.

“Thanks for taking the basket ride over here to see me,” he said to Captain Marc “Pete” Mitscher from the Hornet, conferring with him aboard the Enterprise. Mitscher was a tall, lean man, with a well weathered face and a career dating back to 1910 in the Navy. Halsey wanted to run a few things by him, and share some intelligence.

“Pete, this will be the big one. We either toe the line here or they’ll push us all the way back to Samoa. The only question I have is whether we should cut Reeves and the Wasp loose to operate independently, or keep all our carriers together in one group.”

“Easier to coordinate our strikes from one group,” said Mitscher. “Also more planes available for CAP.”

“True, but they’ll find us out here one way or another, and we can expect to be hit. So it’s a question of how many carriers they find at one time. If I team Shiloh with the Wasp, they would have to split any strike to get at all our flattops.”

“You’re assuming they’ll operate in one group?”

“That’s been their MO in the past. They call it the Kido Butai, and word is that that big battlewagon they have is running with the carriers—the Yamato. All six carriers were together when they hit Pearl, though they broke the four they had into two groups in the Coral Sea when they hit Fletcher.”

“All it took was one group to put Sara and Yorktown down,” said Mitscher.

“I’ll give them that,” said Halsey. “They know what they’re doing when it comes to carrier operations. But our boys are gaining experience and confidence day by day. The Doolittle Raid we pulled off did a world of good for morale, not only here but back home as well. Now I want to deliver a good punch to this Kido Butai if it shows up, and then dance the late rounds if they still have any fight in them. But we may do things a little differently here. This is going to be combat in fairly restricted waters. There are a couple hundred island scattered through this area, and coral reefs everywhere.”

“Alright, you want to split the group, I’ll support that. But Shiloh carries only 24 planes. We might at least think about operating within close supporting distance of each other. That way if one or another group gets targeted, the other might lend a hand.”

“That’ll be the order,” said Halsey. “I’ll detach Shiloh at 12:00 and have her link up with Wasp. A pair of cruisers and five destroyers should be enough to flesh that group out. We’ll designate it TF-17.”

“That was Fletcher’s old handle before he merged it into TF-11,” said Mitscher. “The men get spooky about things like that.”

“Alright then, make it Taffy 18. I like the even numbers anyway.”

“How you figure to hit them?” asked Mitscher. He knew they called Halsey “Bull” for more than one reason, but chief among them was his propensity to be aggressive as a commander, so what he heard next came as a surprise.

“I’ve had a lot of traffic from Nimitz at Pearl,” said Halsey. “He wants me to play a different game down here. Yes, I’d go right at them if we still had Fletcher’s group out there. But the loss of those two carriers is starting to sting. I’m sitting here with the only maneuverable strike element we have in the US Navy now, and we just flat out can’t risk losing it. We’re getting the Essex sooner than we expected, but it still won’t be available until September, so it’s occurred to me that we have another carrier at hand that can serve us equally well in this fight—The USS Suva. Nimitz suggested it, and the more I think it over, the more I tend to agree. So I’m going to transfer in fighters and strike aircraft from the carriers to that base. I’ll want one strike squadron from each of the fleet carriers—your choice when the hat gets passed to the Hornet. Then we’re going to sit up here on the other side of Vanua Levu, so we can have men down there reporting anything they see coming our way. Our mission is to preserve and defend that airfield at Suva, feed in planes, and hammer their own field at Nandi, and any troop or supply convoys they try to bring in.”

“What if the Japs swing around the main islands looking for a fight?”

“Then we swing too, but in the other direction. Now you know me, Pete. You’re a fighting fool just like I am, and you know I wouldn’t run from the devil himself. But the idea here is that we keep the island between us and them, which means they have to overfly anything we have at Suva to get at our carriers. They’ve got an Army Pursuit squadron there with Air Cobras. If we can put enough Wildcats in to back them up, those fighters could break up Jap strike formations aimed at us—but the inverse won’t be true when we go after them with our strike planes.”

Mitscher nodded. “Sounds damn interesting. I like it. In fact, what we need now are a couple good battalions of Seabees and more airfields all over this island group.”

“Damn right, and the planes and pilots to put those airfields to good use. Nimitz says he’s looking to scrape up anyone he can find with experience. Some of the flyers are mustering out of China, and he’s asked for them.”

“The Flying Tigers?”

“The very same—only this time they won’t have to paint those big white teeth on an Army P-40. The Navy is getting a new fighter, the F4U Corsair.”

“I’ve heard they wouldn’t be ready for months. Hell, I’ve been asking for them since Pearl.”

“Sorry Pete, you got passed over. We all did. They only had one squadron available, so they sent it out to Pearl last week. We were at sea, so it ended up on the Shiloh—nine planes. More will be coming soon, but the next bunch goes to the Marines.”

“The Marines? What the hell?”

“That’s where these Tiger pilots moved, right into the USMC. So they’ll have a squadron ready with these new fighters inside a week, but it won’t be enough.”

“Well, we can ferry in planes and set up a de-facto task force of unsinkable aircraft carriers out here on these islands. Sure they can hit those airfields, but if we shadow box them like I think you have it figured, then we can hold our own. It’s a hell of a lot easier to bulldoze over runway craters than it is to build one of these aircraft carriers.”

“That’s the way Nimitz put it, and that’s the way we’ll play it.”

“Intel thinks they sortied with some heavy ships again.”

“More than likely,” said Halsey. “But we’ve got that fast battleship squadron down here now, and I’ll damn well put it to good use. This is becoming a bit of a chess game, and that base at Suva is a good solid pawn, right in the middle of the board. We’re the Knights and Bishops, and we protect that pawn, hold the center, and win through in the endgame with those Marines. Patch and Vandegrift have their marching orders. While we play it cagey out here, the Army and Marines won’t be sitting on defense any longer. They’re going to attack.”

* * *

Halsey’s first order of business was to get down and hammer the Jap airfield at Nandi. He did exactly what he planned, advancing in two task forces to hover north of Vanua Levu. What he wanted was a real one two punch, with his SBDs going in first to sweep the Japanese controlled fields with a series of good crisp jabs, then the big right hand haymaker, with the Battle Fleet composed of North Carolina, Washington and South Dakota. The Black Shoe Admiral that had seen his carriers shot out from under him in the Coral Sea was back. Fletcher had transferred to the cruiser Portland, and brought that ship back towards Fiji with the Pensacola and Astoria. The five destroyers he had were also in tow.

With most of his experience running surface ships, Fletcher felt he was finally playing in the correct league. He had been shaken by the sudden defeat that killed the Saratoga and Yorktown, but there would be no time to brood over the loss. Halsey gave him the battleship squadron, and ordered him in to get some payback by hitting the Japanese at Nandi.

There were only two squadrons of enemy planes reported there, both flown in from Noumea where they had been transferred off the light carrier Hiyo some months earlier. There were 12 D3A Dive bombers for a small strike element, and 12 more A5M Fighters. When Halsey’s planes hit the new airfield near Tavua in the north, those “Claudes” as the Americans called them all scrambled to defend the main field at Nandi. One of the Vals out on patrol had spotted the approach of Fletcher’s battleships, and radioed back to his squadron mates. They got into the air and on their way just ten minutes before the SBDs off the Halsey Group came thundering in to start their attack.

Battleships had long been the apple in the eye of a Japanese pilot, and when those D3As saw them they were delighted, and even more enthused by the fact that there were no American fighters up over them. A formation of 10 planes came in to attack, but Fletcher had spotted them on radar, and his ships were rough and ready, his gunners soon filling the skies with flak as the enemy began their diving runs.

AA Cruiser San Juan was in escort, an Atlanta Class light cruiser with 16 Dual Purpose 5-inch guns that could elevate 85 degrees with added mounts for rounds with special AA fuses. It would come to be considered the very best dual purpose gun in its class, if not the world, and those big rounds were quick to darken the sky over the task force. In spite of that, it was often necessary to fire off at least 100 rounds to get a kill, but good crews could get off over 20 rounds per minute with those guns, so the next five minutes were going to be hot. San Juan would get two of those Vals with that flurry of AAC Mark 49 flak shells that afternoon. Two more would fall prey to her Bofors 40mm guns, 14 in all, and she also had 13 more 20mm Oerlikon AA guns.

Both the Washington and North Carolina had 20 of the same 5-inch guns that made up San Juan’s primary battery, and another 16 of the 1.1-inch AA guns. South Dakota, being one step newer, had 16 of the 5-inchers, but was beefed up considerably when it came to air defense, as that ship had been built with the idea of it being a Fleet Flagship. It was given no less than 68 Bofors 40mm guns, and 76 of the 20mm Oerlikon AA guns. Her 5-inch guns also carried a very special new round designed for air defense. That was the ship that put those Vals down for the count, getting four more as they came in, with another taken down by the North Carolina. But that left two that got through, and their aim was true. One of the dying planes had also got its bomb off before being hit, so the Japanese got just a little reprisal for the loss of that squadron. They put two one bomb on the North Carolina, and two more on the San Juan.

Fletcher winced when he saw the explosion hit his lead battleship. He had already darkened his reputation by losing two fleet carriers, and now the thought that he might lose a battleship here rankled in the back of his mind. But that was not to be. North Carolina was a very well protected ship, with armor accounting for 41% of her total displacement, over 45,000 tons full load. Her armored decks were in three layers that totaled just over seven inches of steel. Her conning tower had 14 to 16 inches of armor, and so the “Showboat,” as the ship was called, brushed off the hit to her forward deck easily enough.

San Juan did not fare quite so well. One bomb hit her amidships, just aft of the rear funnel on her starboard side, setting off a torpedo mount. That put the twin 5-inch battery there out of action, and blew a good sized hole in the deck, scoring the funnel with a lot of shrapnel. While not in danger of sinking, the fires looked serious, giving the sole Japanese pilot to get out of that attack alive something to crow about. He reported he had set a battleship on fire, and no one would ever be the wiser. Fletcher decided to detach the ship and send it back to Pago Pago, but he was more than determined to carry on his mission and get after that airfield.

The sun set an hour later, with no further sign of enemy planes, and that night the three battleships would deliver a most unwelcome surprise to the Japanese at Nandi. Fletcher’s five destroyers had swept on ahead to make the introductions. They began dueling with a few Japanese shore batteries, though not many guns could be spared for that role. The Japanese thought they had little to fear when the destroyer’s lighter rounds came in. They caused more noise and distraction than damage, but ten minutes later the gloaming horizon darkened with the silhouettes of those three US battleships, and in came the big 16-inch rounds, and with terrible effect.

Four of the twelve Claudes were blasted on the airstrip, which saw no less than 19 shells coming to plant big craters there. The port dock and warehouse area took five direct hits, and a fuel tank took another, exploding in a blaze of fire and smoke. As Fletcher watched the smoke and fire hit the enemy for a change, he managed just the hint of a smile. Fedorov’s history recorded him as a cautious but competent carrier commander, with more than one victory to notch his belt. Yet he was a surface action commander at heart, and that was where he would take his ride into the pages of this history.

Far to the west, the Close Covering force waiting for the Tanaka Detachment convoy got new orders that night. Captain Mori on the heavy cruiser Haguro was ordered to take his ships in to sweep the harbor area. He had the cruiser Maya with him, and five destroyers, and was thinking to steal in and catch the Americans near Nandi by surprise the following morning. It was a rash order, sent by the local commander at Noumea in response to an urgent radio call from Nandi asking for naval support, and not by Yamamoto’s Combined Fleet HQ. Those three battleships would be more than a match for the Japanese, but Mori’s group would never get there.

Halsey’s planes would find them first.

Out to finish up the Japanese airfields, a mixed formation of 27 SBDs escorted by 18 Wildcats spotted the enemy ships just after sunrise on the 28th of April. They came screaming in to get their vengeance for the attack that had sent the San Juan to the corner. Both Haguro and Maya would take three hits, with serious damage and heavy fires on both cruisers. The destroyer Ushio also took a bomb forward, which was enough to put that ship out of the game. The entire force did a hasty 180 degree turn and withdrew to Noumea, chastened and well warned.

The opening act of the naval battle for the Fiji Group had gone to Bull Halsey. The airfields at Nandi and Tavua were in very bad shape, and the Japanese had lost the services of those two heavy cruisers, and all but seven A5M fighters, and three Vals that still remained at Nandi. When Yamamoto got the news he was not pleased.

“So, the American carriers have spoiled our celebration of Showa Day, the Emperor’s Birthday. Who ordered that covering force to move to the Fijis so soon, and without proper air cover?”

“I assure you, Admiral, the order did not come from this headquarters.”

“Well, find out where it did come from, and tell the man who issued it that I will speak with him directly after this is over. In the meantime, as the landings in the Santa Cruz Islands look to be unopposed, we will now depart to join Admiral Hara. We move south this morning.”

Part XI

The 5th of May

“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”

― Theodore Roosevelt

Chapter 31

It would be no easy matter to take a big unit like the 1st USMC Division and get it off the transports, unpacked, sorted out and ready for combat, but there was very little time to get that done. PBYs out of Suva had spotted the approach of the Japanese carriers, and all those troops and supplies had to be unloaded before they got there. The transports had orders to immediately put to sea as they were emptied, and return to Pago Pago, and the docks and quays at Suva were a beehive of activity.

One thing that sped the process along was the fact that all regiments arrived ‘tactically loaded,’ with the proper heavy equipment packed on the transport with the correct combat troops. That said, 1st Marine Div was heavy, with four regiments and a fifth still enroute. It took Vandegrift several days get to get his regiments grouped properly and ready to move.

“Where have you been?” said an Army Corporal. “We’ve been out here facing down Tojo for over a month!”

“Yeah?” said a sour faced Marine. “We’ve been puking our guts out on those goddamned transports, all the way from Pearl. But that’s no matter. Move aside, greenback, the USMC is here.”

Vandegrift was watching from a high perch on the weather deck of President Jackson, where he had been looking over the operation. Yes, the Marines were here, and he was leading them in. Now it was time to meet with General Patch of the Pacifica Division. Later that day, the two men met ashore.

“My division is now strung out all along the southern coast of the island,” said Patch. “Except for the regiment I sent you to help unload those ships. The Kiwis put up a tough fight, and they’re presently screening the main road out west at Nayawa.” He pressed a weathered brown finger on the map to indicate the position. “That’s the mouth of the Singatana River. The only road inland into the high country follows that river north from Nayawa. Now I’m backstopping that position with the 132nd Regiment. The other two are positioned all along Queens Road on the southern coast. There are only a few decent landing points there, but they have to be held. We’ve already invested time to get some additional airfields located there, one at Korolevu about 20 klicks east of Nawaya, and a second at Deuba, about 35 klicks further east. They’ve been hitting the main field north of Suva, so we think this will help as dispersal fields.”

“Unless the Japs shell the hell out of those fields from the sea. They’re right on the coast.”

“Couldn’t be helped,” said Patch. “The jungle comes right down to the water’s edge in places, and terrain can rise steeply from the coast. That area is the only place with clearings suitable for an airfield. Besides, the Navy is here, aren’t they? They gave you folks a ride in.”

“Let’s just hope they stick around,” said Vandegrift. “Alright, where do you want my men?”

“North of Suva,” Patch pointed again. “See these two roads? One swings out near the airfield at Nasouri, and then follows the Rewa River up through Kasavo. The one on the left here moves through the lowland and then hits some fairly thick jungle. It becomes little more than a trail at that point, but you can still move vehicles on it. It’ll run along a tributary of the Rewa River until it reaches the village of Vunindawa here, then it bends east and joins the other road. So you can move two regiments up that way, one on each road. Then establish your CP right there where they meet.”

“Any idea what the Japs have up there?”

“Sakaguchi Detachment—about one regiment in strength. There’s a battalion of Fiji Commandos watching that road as it continues along the river north from the junction. Your first order of business will be to get up there and make contact with that unit.”

“Fiji Commandos?”

“Yup, recruited by the Kiwis from the locals here on the island. From what I hear they’re one tough outfit. They know the jungle, and the island itself, like the back of their hand. They can be your eyes and ears up there. I’ve also put together a wild bunch of my own, and I had them training with this Fiji group. We call them the Alamo Raiders. They can help you out on point as pathfinders. What I want you to do is to take your division up north and recapture Tavua. That’ll put you in a position to push for Nandi from the northeast. When you’re ready, I’ll bunch up my division here on the southern coast and we’ll push from this end.”

“What about the high country in the center of the island?”

“It’s tough going up there, but that doesn’t mean the Japs won’t use it. The thing is this—if we make a big push for Nandi like this, they’ll simply have to fall back to defend it. If they lose that, it’s over for them here, and they damn well know it.”

It seemed as good a plan as any that could be devised, so Vandegrift got started that day, ordering his 1st and 5th Marine Regiments to move out on those roads. The heavy equipment was still being unloaded, but he could at least get his rifle companies moving, and they had mortars and M1 machineguns. A few 75mm guns had come on the transports, but the bigger 155mm guns and the sound and flash ranging equipment used in counterbattery fire had been in another convoy, and would not arrive for several days.

Yet the fact that a functioning port had been ready to receive them saw the division land with a good deal more supply than it ever had in Fedorov’s history on Guadalcanal. It was an easy landing, and the division found itself fairly well equipped. Soon they were on those roads, with the 7th Regiment on the left, and the 5th on the right.

While this was going on, two battalions of the Sakaguchi Detachment were already moving south. They had swept through the northeast segment of the island, finding it unoccupied, and now thought to swoop down on Suva from the north. The first battalion found the road, and ran right into 1/5 Marines just as it was about to emerge from the heavier jungle into a highland meadow. There followed a very sharp engagement, with the Japanese thinking they would simply storm the enemy unit as they had all others.

The Marines deployed from march, rushing in platoon sized groups to fan out on either side of the road at the edge of the jungle. The BAR teams were already putting out suppressive fire, and they kept the Japanese heads down until the M1 teams could get their machineguns set up. Following their usual tactics, the 2nd Battalion of Sakaguchi’s troops immediately moved to their left, intending to flank the Marine position astride the road. Unfortunately, they were going to run directly into the jungle savvy commandos of the Fiji Battalion, which had been placed there to protect and screen that flank and road.

The commandos were very wood crafty, and knew how to lay low in unseen positions in the thickets of the jungle. They waited for the Japanese patrols to begin slipping through their lines, then, animated by a strange bird call made by their CO, they leapt up like ghouls and began taking the three and five man groups of Japanese infantry by surprise. It was knife work for a while, before the first shots of alarm rang out, then the chatter of a machine gun.

The Japanese finally realized what was happening, and organized for a strong infantry attack at near battalion strength. This was able to drive the commandos back, but they simply melted into the jungle, evaporating like mist in the heavy treeland. When the Japanese began to organize an advance the action started again, with small groups of commandos striking an unwary platoon, then melting away.

Off to the west, Sakaguchi’s 1st battalion finally pushed back the Marines, the veteran infantry advancing fearlessly, until one Marine corporal, stopped, picked up a machinegun and just refused to give any more ground. That bought just enough time for the battalion to pull itself together, and soon the position was further bolstered by yet another full battalion of leathernecks deploying from road column. The enemy attack was stopped like a tide breaking on the shore. This time the defenders held the line, and soon it was Colonel Leroy Hunt who was prepping his men for a counterattack. Hunt put in his whole regiment, and on his left, the 7th Marine Regiment was coming up the interior road and meeting a stubborn defense from the 4th Yokosuka SNLF battalion.

The Japanese were as tenacious on defense as they were in attack, and it took a good deal of firepower to force those men to retreat. Some simply refused, dying to a man in their positions and forcing the Marines to take down every last machinegun that had been set up on defense. When Vandegrift moved his division headquarters up country to get a better feel for what was happening, he looked over the captured position and made an astute observation that every officer on his staff never forgot.

“Looks like the enemy was trained to go to a place, stay there, fight and die. We train our men to go to a place, fight to win, and to live. I can assure you, it is a much better theory.”

That was what the men of the Sakaguchi Regiment would have to do if they were going to hold in the north, fight and die. When reports reached Tavua that his men had encountered strong enemy resistance, he realized that he had very little in reserve. There was a single engineer battalion, with two of its three companies watching the northeast coast and the third on the airfield near Tavua trying to get it ready to receive friendly aircraft. The 2nd Yokosuka SNLF had been ordered to reconnoiter the highland, and now it was necessary to recall it and have it march quickly to Tavua to stand as a reserve.

Something had just happened there on the main island of Viti Levu that no one fully realized that day. There, at the edge of that jungle in the Fiji highlands, the men of the Sakaguchi Regiment had been met, held, then pushed back by the sheer muscle and firepower of two full Marine Regiments. A third regiment, the 1st Marine under Colonel Cates, was now also coming up in support. It was May 1st, May Day, the day the restless coursing lines of war flowed up and receded at the edge of that jungle, yet no man on either side really appreciated how significant that was. The tide, at least on the ground, had turned.

* * *

Out on the Solomon Sea, the Japanese were slowly approaching, returning to challenge the naval and air superiority Halsey had imposed over the Fijis for the last week. No news had come from Fiji of late. The only news that would be sent home on Showa Day would be that of Japan’s latest acquisition. He had shepherded the Shoji Detachment down from Buka and instead of landing on Guadalcanal as first planned, they had taken it to Espiritu Santo in the Santa Cruz Islands. As there was no other enemy activity in the lower Solomons, airfield construction Regiments would be dispatched immediately from Rabaul to both Lunga on Guadalcanal and Luganville on Espiritu Santo. That would complete the missing link in the long chain of islands stretching from Rabaul to Noumea. It was a masterful stroke, and even if the Fiji operation were to fail, the occupation of those islands, linking the Solomons to the New Hebrides, was of great strategic significance.

Thus far the US had enjoyed naval superiority in the Fiji Group after the initial landing, but the Japanese carriers were returning, intending to reach the scene by the first of May. As the American carriers had been spotted operating north of those islands, it was Yamamoto’s intention to confront them directly. On the last day of April, he was in position to sweep east, hoping to find and punish the last of the enemy carriers… But Halsey was not there.

True to his plan to try and keep the main Fiji Islands between his carriers and the enemy, Halsey swung south. If Suva Bay were the center of a clock, The Japanese were at 12:00 and the Americans at 06:00 at dawn on the first of May. A lone Kate off the Akagi saw what he thought were carriers and cruisers to the south of Kandavu Island, which sat about 50 nautical miles below the main Fiji group. The wizened Admiral Chuichi Nagumo had arrived from Japan to take over carrier operations in Yamamoto’s group, and the sighting was enough for him to order an immediate strike from Akagi and Soryu.

All the dive bombers had been prepping for a ground strike against Suva, mostly armed with fragmentation bombs. To stop that process and rearm the planes with armor piercing bombs would take at least 30 minutes, so Nagumo sent his torpedo bombers instead, a total of 34 B5Ns, many armed with bombs and a few others with torpedoes. They were escorted by 22 Zeroes, but the strike ran into a very thick CAP defense, with all of 40 Wildcats up on defense, and they were enough to hold the enemy at bay. Many of the planes were forced to break formation and turn back. A few Kates got down into their torpedo runs, mostly focusing their attack on the Enterprise as Halsey watched from the weather deck. He was impressed by the dogged approach made by the enemy, even with his own fighters right on their tails. The enemy got torpedoes in the water, but lost twelve planes and scored no hits.

Suspecting an enemy surface group was nearby, Halsey had detached two cruisers, the Cleveland and Honolulu, with destroyers Ward and Phelps to sweep the Kandavu Channel ahead of his carriers. They were also found in this strike, but Nagumo’s only consolation for the loss of so many torpedo planes was a single hit on the Cleveland by a Kate that had been armed with bombs that day. The first enemy punches had been parried, and now it was time for the US carriers to throw some lead the other way.

The previous night, Combined Fleet had doubled down on the order that sent cruisers into that channel on Showa Day. With the carriers at hand, Ugaki deemed the risk acceptable this time and ordered two small surface action groups to sweep those same waters south of the islands. The first was composed of heavy cruisers Haguro and Myoko, and the 15th Destroyer Division with Kuroshio, Oyashio, Hayashio, and Natsushio. It was entering the Kandavu channel between Viti Levu and the Kandavu island, the most direct passage to Suva and the big Allied airfield at Nausori at the southeast corner of the island. That was the objective for Captain Sakiyama on the Haguro, to take his cruisers in and put that airfield out of action by bombardment. Yet like Captain Mori’s ill fated sortie a few days earlier, he would never get there.

A patrol of two SBDs off the Enterprise spotted the enemy cruisers heading east into the channel, and Halsey immediately went after them. 36 Wildcats accompanied the initial strike, which was made by 44 SBDs and 14 TBDs, a heavy blow that encountered no more than 9 A5M Claudes off the airfield at Nandi. The nimble fighters had to dodge craters to get airborne, but they managed it, only to get into a hail storm of F4F Wildcats. Seven were shot down, and the strike wave blew right on through to hit those cruisers.

When they were done destroyer Oyashio had taken a direct hit, with heavy fires amidships, Myoko was struck once, a near miss that mostly hit the ship’s belt armor, but the heavy cruiser Haguro got smashed. The Dauntless pilots put no less than six bombs on the cruiser, riddling it with concussion and fire. The coup de grace was a single torpedo hit that would end the ship’s misery. Haguro had once been fated to be the last major Japanese warship attacked and sunk in the war, but not this time around.

Two hours later, a second strike arrived overhead with 24 SBDs and 8 TBDs off the Wasp. They found only one cruiser remaining, put a bomb on Myoko, and sunk a pair of destroyers, Hayashio and Natsushio. It was only the weather that prevented Halsey from destroying this entire group, for heavy thunderstorms popped up in the late afternoon, and the planes were called home.

That afternoon, Hara’s carriers and most of the Vals off the Nagumo group pounded Allied ground positions on the main island, but did little real harm. There were now 40 Aircobras ready at Suva, joined by over 36 Wildcats that had been flown in from Pago Pago, more than enough to put up a substantial air cover over that island. The battle for Fiji was now beginning in earnest, and Bull Halsey was determined to hold the line. He had taken one punch, and given the enemy a bloody nose in return, but the worst of this fight was yet to come.

Chapter 32

Displeased with these results Yamamoto summoned Nagumo, to Fleet HQ aboard Yamato to discuss the situation. Nagumo bowed deeply, an apologetic expression on his face, but Yamamoto did not summon him to berate him. Nothing was said of the loss of Haguro, for this time it was Ugaki who had ordered those ships in. Yet Nagumo knew that silence was weighty, and he could hear the displeasure when Yamamoto finally spoke.

“Given that your orders were to strike the enemy ground facilities,” he said. “I can see why your dive bombers were not ready for anti-ship operations. Now that the enemy carriers have been discovered south of the islands, we must make them our primary targets. They apparently sought to avoid a direct clash with us here, but we must engage them. It is most unfortunate that the use of our B5N Torpedo bombers to make a long range attack as level bombers leaves us very few for these more important naval operations.”

Silence. Nagumo nodded slowly, understanding that Yamamoto was now expressing his real concern in the matter. Before he could think what to say, the Fleet Admiral simply asked him another question. “Given this situation, how do you propose to operate?”

“I considered moving east and then south,” said Nagumo, “following the route the Americans must have taken and cutting their line of communications back to Samoa. Now, with our cruiser group retiring to Noumea, I think it best to move counterclockwise around these islands, and swing down toward Nandi.”

“Agreed,” said Yamamoto. “We must also not forget the transports carrying the Tanaka Regiment and headquarters and artillery for the 48th Division. A move in that direction would put us between the enemy carriers and those transports, allowing us to cover their approach.”

“Under the circumstances,” said Nagumo. “The transports should be held near Noumea with the fleet oilers until we settle affairs with these enemy carriers.”

“That would also be a wise precaution. Very well, Admiral, we move as you suggest tonight, and should be steaming off Nandi Bay in the pre-dawn hours tomorrow. The enemy carriers are now our first priority. No further strikes against ground targets should be planned until they are dealt with.”

That was what the Admiral had summoned him here to convey, Nagumo knew, and the burn of shame was on his neck, in spite of the subtle and diplomatic way in which the Fleet Commander had conducted this meeting, allowing him to lay out his plans before making that last final remark, almost as if it were an afterthought. But he knew what Yamamoto was really saying—get it right this time, reserve the torpedo planes for the enemy carriers, and cease fruitless bombing runs against ground targets. He berated himself inwardly, while outwardly, his face remained set in stone.

Search operations from the carriers should have detected the enemy move south, he thought. The fleet needed to be ready for any contingency… But that airfield at Suva must be hit again before we leave, and very hard this time.

It occurred to Nagumo that he possessed just the tool necessary to accomplish this task. Two groups built around heavy cruisers had attempted to run the Kandavu Strait, and each time they had been intercepted by American carriers lying in wait. This time the attack would be well timed, and it would be conducted by the fast battlecruisers Kongo and Kirishima. A night raid would be necessary, minimizing the possibility of both discovery in the strait on approach, or any effective enemy reprisal by air. And come dawn, when the bombardment group was withdrawing, his carriers had to be ready to provide the necessary cover.

We cannot be here indefinitely, thought Nagumo. Each mission we fly finds empty chairs in the briefing room. As skilled and determined as we are, attrition in war is inevitable. It kills planes, and the pilots in them, and it sinks ships.

He looked at the charts compiled by staff officers. Akagi had no more than 51 planes ready for operations. There were 45 on Soryu, and another 53 on Zuikaku. The two light carriers mustered a combined total of 40 planes. So the Kido Butai now had a total of 189 planes available. At Pearl Harbor we had twice that number, he thought. We have not yet fully engaged the remaining American carriers. Yes, many of the men off Shokaku made it safely to Noumea. Several of those Chutai have been moved to the New Hebrides airfields, and they can transfer to the carriers as needed. Before we leave here, I must make certain the American carriers can no longer pose any serious threat to our continued operations.

That was what Yamamoto seemed to press upon him—get the enemy’s mobile striking power. Their fixed base assets could come later, and perhaps the Army could solve that problem in the long run. Yet bringing the enemy to heel would prove more difficult than he thought. The Fiji Island group was a vast area, with the main island surrounded by hundreds of small islets and coral reefs everywhere. When Nagumo moved south to get into position to strike the last reported position of the enemy, his reconnaissance planes soon reported that the Americans had swung north again, cleverly placing the main islands between their position and the Kido Butai. The two sides seemed to be circling those islands like two Samurai warriors, swords ready and just waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

Two days passed with little more than sniping between long range CAP patrols on either side. Frustrated, Nagumo moved north again to the 12:00 position on the clock face, with the Americans last reported at 03:00. It was then that his enemy would do something most unexpected, and it would set the scene for all that would follow.

* * *

“God damnit!” Halsey was clearly not happy. “Here we just get into position to take these bastards on, and look at this!” He handed Enterprise Captain Murray the latest signal from Pearl. Nimitz had his spoon in the soup again.

Murray took the message, reading it aloud: “Given latest intelligence of enemy carriers moving east, imperative you cover underway operations embarking 112th Base Force from Pago Pago to Savuii Island in Samoa Group. Do not engage enemy carrier group and withdraw east at earliest opportunity.” He looked up at Halsey, who was still venting steam, arms crossed on his barrel chest, eyes dark with his displeasure.

“They’ll pound that airfield at Suva all day if we pull out now,” said Halsey. “Damnit, if Nimitz wanted to run this operation, then why didn’t he take the Con himself out here?” He fretted, scratching a reddish rash on his arm and elbow.

“You read the Fleet OP PLAN order from Admiral King,” said Murray. He could recite it almost verbatim now: “Inflict maximum damage on enemy by employing strong attrition tactics. But do not accept such decisive action as would be likely to incur heavy losses in our carriers and cruisers.”

“Well we can’t beat them if we don’t fight them,” said Halsey. “Alright, I’m ordered to cover that silly transport operation, and so that’s what I’ll tell Fletcher to do.” Halsey had found his only way out of the corner.

“Fletcher?”

“He’s senior to Reeves on the Wasp, so I put him back in the saddle with Taffy-18. He can take Wasp and Shiloh east and screen that damn sealift operation, but by God, I’m going to keep my fighters in range of Suva, come hell or high water.”

“Well we might just end up getting both,” Captain Murray warned. “You’re going to split up the Task Group and then wait here for the whole enemy force to come at us? That last sighting report had them coming due east. It looks like they mean business.”

“Well I mean business too,” said Halsey with a scowl, “but we won’t stand here with our chin out. We’ll do the same thing we pulled two days ago, and swing south. They had to pull most of the Wildcats off Suva and post them to isolated bases when those Jap battleships made a run at the place. Now they’ve nothing more than those obsolete Army Aircobras. Hell, they even moved the PBYs back to Pago Pago. That’s where we’ll be fighting this battle next if we don’t stop them here. So we swing south, but stay in range of Suva so I can cover the field with a few Wildcats.”

“And what if they hit us with everything they have? We could lose both Enterprise and Hornet, and that would leave the Fletcher Group the only flat top we have worth mentioning.”

“That’s a risk we’ll have to take.”

“A risk you’ll have to take… Aw, hell, I didn’t mean it that way. Admiral, sir, my men will back you 110% out here, but I just hope to God you know what you’re doing.”

Halsey gave him just the hint of a smile. “Funny you should mention that,” he said, “because He and I were discussing this situation just last night, and the lord on high tells me he has our back this time. Come about, Captain. Give me 180 South and ahead full. You get the flags up for Mitscher with this, and I’m off to send Fletcher his marching orders east. He’s about to comply with Fleet Order 140, Fifth of May, 1942. I have business elsewhere.”

Halsey was dividing his force in the face of the enemy attack. One day historians might squint and say he was brash, and acted stupidly, but not today, not on the 5th of May, 1942. Most of the men who would analyze and second guess the fighting Admiral were still waiting to be born.

The Battle of the Koro Sea – 5 MAY, 1942

They came out of the north, flying right through tall rising columns of thunder storms to get there. The weather had been so bad in the pre-dawn hours of May 5th that Halsey only had four Wildcats off each of his two carriers up on patrol, and all they could think of was getting out of that turbulence and seeing if they could land in that mess. Heavy seas move a flight deck around quite a bit. You could time a wave set better for takeoff, and even use that to good advantage when the bow would fall away and help a plane get airborne, but landing was a hazardous affair. That deck could suddenly swing up when you didn’t expect it, and smack your plane right in the belly.

The Japanese were up in spite of the storm, and out to bring a little thunder and lightning to their enemy. Nagumo’s search planes had seen the American fleet late the previous day. Yet morning searches noted one group heading east, another bearing south. Nagumo considered that the withdrawing unit might be no more than bait, and resolved to strike south, keeping his carriers close to the Fijis.

It was a very good guess, and Admiral Hara’s 5th Carrier Division led the way, with Zuikaku, and light carriers Zuiho and Shoho. They would open the action with 21 B5N torpedo planes led by Lt. Yoshiaki Subota, the cream of what was left in the fleet for that plane type after Nagumo’s disastrous use of the torpedo bombers to conduct that long range strike earlier. Another two Chutai of D3A Dive Bombers was led by Lt. Tamatsu Ema, the heavyset bearded wonder of the dive bomber squadrons. His plane was clearly evident in the lead, its scarlet tail impossible to miss. His second Chutai was one plane light, but its Chutachio, Lieutenant Hayashi, had boasted he would make up for the missing plane personally.

The men were in high spirits that morning, in spite of the weather, and the gloom that had enfolded Hayashi the last few days dissipated now that the adrenaline of battle was flowing in his blood again. Those odd dreams of rockets in the sky no longer bothered him. It was only lightning now, and the occasional rumble of thunder, which seemed to set the scene for him perfectly. They were the Thunder Gods now, he thought. They were out to avenge the loss of their sister ship, Soaring Crane.

In spite of the bad weather, the raid was detected on radar about 77 miles out, some 30 minutes before they would get over Halsey’s carriers. Even with that lavish grace period, Enterprise got no more than three additional Wildcats up to join the CAP patrol, three planes off Hornet also scrambled, and more were being spotted, but that group would fly off in the wrong direction and fail to find the Japanese when they bored in on Halsey’s position.

The Big E was well out in front, and actually entering a squall line when the strike came in, which left Hornet and her closest escort, the cruiser San Francisco, as the most visible targets. The D3As came in first, with orders to strike the closest escorts to give Ema’s torpedo bombers the best chance to put their thunderfish to work. Hayashi would prove true to his word and draw first blood when he put a 250 KG bomb on San Francisco, right behind the aft stack. Not to be outdone, Ema came in right after him and scored yet another hit amidships, starting heavy fires there. Now the way was clear for Subota, as San Francisco had to fall out of its screening position for the carrier when the ship lost power and slowed to 20 knots.

Subota would lose only two BN5s on the run in, with two more damaged by flak and forced to abort, but the other 17 would all make the attack over those wild seas. The torpedoes, however, had a very rough run into the target, many lost and diverted from their intended course in the batting waves. One would run true and get a torpedo hit on the Hornet that penetrated the belt armor and caused significant damage just aft of the island. The high white wash of seawater clearly marked the hit, and Hayashi could see it as he looked over his shoulder after recovering from his dive through a hail of flak. The Thunder Gods had announced their presence, and he clenched his fist, eager to get back to Zuikaku and rearm for a second strike.

But fate had other plans for him that day, and they were now churning in the mind of a self-proclaimed Fighting Fool, Admiral Bull Halsey. When he got the news, Halsey scratched his neck, where a bright red rash was plaguing him again that morning.

“Is Hornet still underway?”

“Yes sir, her speed is good and the flight deck looks clear.”

“Good, thank God we got our boys up before this squall line hit us. They ought to be getting close to the other fellow by now. Why haven’t we heard anything?”

It was a special agony there in the close confines of the main bridge, one eye on the mission board where he was taking in the names of the men he had just set out into that storm, and one ear on the overhead intercom, listening for any sound that could tell him what they were doing. The ceiling above him was a morass of grey cables, all hooking in to some piece of equipment or another, and then snaking off in thick bundles to vanish into the grey guts of the ship. One coiled near the Captain’s Command Announcing System, where many a “now hear this” had been shouted over the last years of duty. Ten red lights sat in two rows of five, each with a thick black switch that would be flipped to activate any of those stations, the Open Bridge, Secondary Conn, Damage Control, Pre-Flight Briefing, AA Stations and more. Now those lights sat dark, the switches all set to the vertical off position.

Halsey’s orders had been given, the men and planes and ships all set in motion by his bawling commands, and now he could only stand there, waiting, listening, eyeing that Mission Board and wondering how many of those men would make it safely back to the ship. This was the hardest part of the job for Halsey, and the skin ailment that had been brought on by all the stress of these last months was making the wait even worse. They had opened a can of ‘Peerless Coffee,’ a Bay Area special that had been roasted there since 1924. Halsey picked up three cans before they left the west coast, but now, as the weather loosened up a bit and Enterprise came into the clear, he looked to see the cruiser San Francisco burning in his wake.

That ship was supposed to be in Puget Sound for an overhaul, he thought. Well, she’s damn well going to need it now. Look at those fires—my fires. This all happened because I got on that Squawk Box and made it so. Was Murray right? Was I a fool to send Fletcher off with Wasp and Shiloh like that, and then slip off myself to thump my chest with the Japanese?

Only time would tell….

Chapter 33

Hornet was already skewered by a torpedo hit, though all accounts had her still ‘Haze Grey and Underway.’ San Francisco was having a harder time suppressing those fires but TF-16 was already out for some payback, though they were having difficulty finding the Japanese 5th Carrier Division to the north. The thunderheads that had fringed the action against Halsey’s group had been moving north during the long hour it took to spot and launch the strike, another hour would pass as the squadrons formed up and moved north, their blue wings dark against the glowering sky.

Lieutenant Grey Davis of VF-6 had the first flight in the vanguard, with Firebaugh, Runyon, and Packard off his wingtips. There were three other flights in the escort, making 16 F4F Wildcats in all. Behind them came Lieutenant Ray Davis with VB-6 and there were 29 SBDs in that formation, and another 26 from VB-8 off the Hornet. No torpedo bombers were included in the strike. Halsey had seen their performance in drills, and was not happy with either the pilots or the torpedoes they were carrying, which had a tendency to misfire, run high and wide all too often, or to even fail to detonate for those lucky enough to score a hit. He would lead with his dive bombers, and hold the torpedo planes for a possible second wave.

While the Americans searched north through the gloom, Hara’s recovery operation had gone remarkably well. The real front of the storm had not yet reached his carriers, though winds were rising from the south. The relatively calm waters there enabled smooth flight deck operations. The Japanese had the advantage of knowing the exact heading to take back to their carriers, and they got there before most of Halsey’s planes could determine where the enemy was. Then came the break-neck effort to get fresh planes ready for action, a job the crews on the hangar deck had been doing even while the recovery was still underway.

Hayashi leapt from his plane and immediately headed below to check on progress, delighted to find there was already another squadron of D3As ready to be lifted up to the flight deck. He wanted one of those planes, unwilling to wait for his own plane to be turned around and prepped again for action. It was his enthusiasm for the action that saw both he and Ema back on the flight deck half an hour later, each having pulled rank to commandeer planes to get airborne again as soon as possible. They would get at least twelve D3As off Zuikaku, each man taking two Shotai of three planes. Unwilling to wait for the rest of the groups to be spotted and rise again for action, Ema got permission to look for the strike groups coming south from Carrier Division 2.

Word had been flashed to Nagumo that the American carriers had been found, and already attacked. He had 33 D3As up, and the 12 planes off Zuikaku would make that 45. They would be joined by only 4 B5Ns in that second strike, all that was ready on the Shoho. The remainder would still be some time arming and fueling. Four Shotai of A6M2 Zeroes would escort this strike in, and hoping to surprise the Americans again by coming from a different direction, Ema suggested they make a wide loop to the east around some thunderheads before turning south.

It was that spur of the moment decision by a single man that gave Halsey’s carriers just those few minutes more that they needed to get the last of his strike airborne and on its way. They would eventually find Carrier Division 5, and King Kong Hara was in for a very harrowing day.

The SDB was a sturdy, reliable plane, with decent range, and capable of lifting over 2000 pounds of ordnance. The planes were now carrying 1000 pound bombs, twice as heavy as the 500 pound bombs delivered by the Japanese dive bombers. Of the 55 SBDs up that day, only three would be taken down by the relatively light Zero escort, which had enough to do in trying to fend off the 16 American Wildcats. 11 more of the Dauntless dive bombers would take damage from both fighters and enemy flak, but of the 52 that were still flying, most all would get those 1000 pounders in the air, and today they were going to be very good.

The American flyers knew their back was now against the wall. They had lost Lexington at Pearl, Saratoga and Yorktown went down in the Coral Sea, and they knew the enemy had already put a torpedo into the Hornet. They had to turn the tide soon or the war would simply slip from their grasp. They simply had to hurt the Japanese now, and they did.

The Lucky Crane saw her luck run out that day, with three successive flight deck hits and a whole lot of whooping and shouting when the US pilots saw the tall columns of dark smoke broil up from the carrier. Halsey’s wait was finally over when the radio was suddenly alive with the heated calls of his pilots. One voice cut through it all, and finally put a smile on his heavy face. “Hot damn! Look at that Jap carrier burn!”

The SBDs were going to get 10 hits that day, an astounding 20% of what they carried to the fight. Two more would hit Zuikaku, wrecking elevators, igniting ready ammo, blasting away three planes on the fiery deck, and putting that carrier completely out of business, with a ten degree list to starboard. Zuiho took two hits, the second setting off her Aviation fuel storage bunker with a resulting explosion that literally wrecked the ship. The last three got Shoho, putting heavy damage on that carrier and shutting down the small flight deck. The ship would not survive, her list too heavy to stop by counter flooding, her fires simply uncontrollable.

In one fell swoop, Hara’s 5th Carrier division was literally destroyed as a viable fighting force. King Kong himself was wounded in action from bomb splinters that flayed the bridge on Zuikaku. It had been his unlucky fate to see his carrier division savaged again, and this time the Lucky Crane would be fortunate if it could even safely reach the nearest friendly port at Noumea. With shock and shame consuming him as he watched Shoho roll over and die, he sent a signal to Nagumo informing him of the damage. “Shoho lost, remainder of division carriers have suffered heavy damage and must withdraw.”

When that news reached the bridge of Akagi, there was an audible hiss from one of the junior officer’s quick intake of breath. One minute they were filled with jubilation. The American carriers had been found, hit by Hara’s pilots, and a second strike was already in the air. The next minute 5th Carrier Division was stricken from the rolls of active combatants.

Nagumo’s expression was cold and stoic, yet one man noticed the small tremor in his white gloved hand, his jaw tight, eyes narrow. The outcome of this battle was now riding the thunderheads with his dive bombers.

* * *

The second strike, mostly from Carrier Division 1 was over the American task force a little after noon, the skies still slate grey, and a light rain beginning to fall. They did not yet know what had befallen their brothers with Carrier Division 5, and if they had it would have probably made them just a little more rash, a little more determined, but a little less effective with anger clouding over the stony calm a good dive bomber needed to ply his craft.

They were going to be very good that day as well. Pensacola took the first hit, very near the wound she had suffered the previous January. It seemed the enemy was rubbing salt there, but the scrappy cruiser was not seriously hurt. The chopping recoil of the flak guns punctuated the hour for Halsey now, drowning out the last of the chatter he had been listening to over the radio set. He knew enough to realize his flyers had hurt the enemy, but now he ran outside to the weather deck just in time to see two bombs straddle the Enterprise, one striking very near the bow, its explosion close enough to score the metal with the claw marks of shrapnel.

The second bomb was close amidships, the belt armor taking the brunt of that near hit. Big E would get off easy that day, for those were the only two bombs that would touch her. Hornet’s luck was not so good. That ship was going to take four more bomb hits, the after elevators useless, and a deck fire there impeding any further flight deck operations. One struck near the island, the concussion nearly blasting open the lower hatch and shaking the bridge some 50 feet above. Another did the real damage when it penetrated the flight deck, plunged down into the hangar deck and even blew through that as well. The explosion took out two TBDs that had just been refueled and armed, and the fires were severe.

That hit shook the ship so hard that the temporary hull patch the engineers were working on to seal off that earlier torpedo hit was shaken loose and the sea rushed in again, sweeping three men away and flooding two more compartments before they could seal off those hatches. Soon that water would begin to overwhelm the pumps, and Hornet was settling heavily into the water, listing to port and smothered with thick black smoke. Mitscher was almost certain that the carrier had been struck a fatal blow, and began passing the word for the crews to make ready to abandon ship. It wasn’t the steel ship he was worried about any longer, but the 3000 men that were riding its burning back.

It was going to cost that strike wing a single Zero, six Vals, one of the four Kates, and thirteen other Vals damaged by flak in that attack. That was a small price to pay for the Hornet, and Halsey’s only solace was the fact that he had hit all three carriers in that first attack, and Big E was still alive and well. His boys would return, many having to divert to Suva from VF-8 and VB-8 off the Hornet. Then he would work like a madman to get those planes turned over and ready to go again. Enterprise would manage to get 31 SBDs up again, but with only six Wildcats in escort. This time they side swiped the burning Carrier Division 5, and followed a small flight of planes that were heading north. There they found Carrier Division 1, and right there between the two flattops was the biggest battleship they had ever laid eyes on.

The weather was terrible, with the same row of thunderstorms that had swept over the US task force earlier, but down they came. Only one would get lucky enough to do any serious harm, and it was Akagi that would shake with that hit, which set off aviation fuel on the hangar deck and started a hot fire that was serious enough to halt operations. Soryu wasn’t touched, but the tremor in Nagumo’s hand was visibly noticeable now, and he hid it in his jacket pocket. The realization of what had just happened was only too evident. Carrier Division 5 was gone. Most of the surviving planes were diverted to the pot marked airfield near Nandi on the main Fiji Island, but there was not enough aviation support there to sustain operations indefinitely. Akagi had her nice new refit spoiled by that hit, though Nagumo believed the ship could be made operational within a few hours.

Yet in those hours, there was only Soryu out there as the single operational carrier in the Kido Butai. The Blue Dragon was all that remained.

* * *

Even Thunder Gods fall.

Lieutenant Hayashi learned that the hard way when his battered D3A finally reached Nandi. He was down off the plane, seeing soldiers from a Naval infantry battalion pushing a B5N aside to clear the small portion of the runway that was still functional. That set his mind on finding his good friend Subota, and he ran off toward a small group of torpedo bombers, hoping to find him there. What he found instead was the terrible news that his comrade was seen in a bad tail spin dive, right at the edge of a thunder storm.

His eyes wide, a frantic look on his face, Hayashi turned and ran back to his dive bomber, pushing a sergeant aside and climbing up, heedless of the man’s shouts that the airfield could not be cleared for his takeoff. He tried to turn his engine over. He’d get out there and find Subota. It was the only thing to do, but the plane simply sputtered and died, its fuel exhausted. He had been lucky to make that landing safely, and his D3A wasn’t going anywhere until it could be serviced.

Hayashi felt the wave of despair sweep over him, his eyes glassy. He imagined Subota’s plane going down in that wild sea, imagined him alone out there at the edge of that storm, watching the lightning, hearing the raucous boom of the thunder, feeling the hard cold rain on his face. It would be a fitting death, but even as he thought that, he bent forward, both fists at his forehead, and leaned heavily on his flight panel, the tears streaking the char of smoke on his face. The Marine Sergeant saw him there, and said nothing more. He took off his cap, rubbed his chin, and strode away.

* * *

The Blue Dragon was all that remained….

That was the one burning thought in Yamamoto’s mind as soon as the battle ended. What if he had listened to that truculent officer from Takami and watched those rockets savage this American attack? No, he had decided to fight this battle on even terms, but the losses the Kido Butai had sustained were very heavy relative to the damage he inflicted on his enemy. He knew they had sunk at least one American fleet carrier, but for that they traded Zuikaku. Admiral Hara sadly reported that he did not think they could save the ship. Shoho was also gone, leaving only Zuiho still afloat, but out of the war for at least four months or longer. Hara’s group was a broken sword.

At least Akagi was not seriously hurt, and could probably be fully operational in a few days. Yet now so many questions crowded his mind wanting answers. Could he adequately cover the delivery of the Tanaka Regiment to Nandi with only one fully operational carrier? His fuel reserve was now at 55%, and he could not linger here for very much longer. What about all those planes and pilots that had diverted to Nandi and Tavua? They would have to hold their own for a time until Army planes relieved them, but it would not be wise to leave those experienced carrier-trained pilots there on the islands. A look at his plane inventory found him with only 141 planes at sea including five B5Ns stranded on the Zuiho, unable to take off.

And what of the enemy? If we have sunk only one enemy fleet carrier here, he thought, where were the other two? They were undoubtedly further east near Samoa, but for how long? This American Admiral was aggressive enough to divide his task force in the face of the storm, and yet he held his own against the full might of the Kido Butai. That is very disturbing. And what might come of the operation in the north? Will Takami be able to protect the northern fleet from this Russian Sea Demon? What might happen to Kaga and Tosa?

All these questions created a reasonable doubt that he could continue operations now. Without any discussion, he ordered the carriers to withdraw west. They would rendezvous with a tanker and refuel.

Nagumo bowed solemnly, but said nothing when he received the order. He knew the calculus that must be running through Yamamoto’s mind now, and his own instincts would be to do the very same thing. They must move west now, refuel, assess the condition of Akagi, and sort out the shattered naval squadrons into some reasonable order. Perhaps further operations could be contemplated at that time, but not today—not on the 5th of May, 1942.

Part XII

Presentiment

“Presentiment is that long shadow on the lawn

Indicative that suns go down;

The notice to the startled grass

That darkness is about to pass.”

― Emily Dickenson

Chapter 34

The Japanese situation on Fiji was much more serious than even Yamamoto knew. The 1st USMC Division had moved aggressively north against the Sakaguchi Detachment. That was bringing three full combat ready regiments against one, even though Sakaguchi could rightfully say he was commanding a relatively strong brigade. He had an engineer battalion attached to his three battalion regiment, and there were also two battalions of SNLF Naval Marines under his command.

The Japanese were not entirely aware of the full strength of their enemy, or that Vandegrift’s division now had four full regiments, the 1st, 5th, 7th and 11th Marines, (the latter being artillery). Two more were in theater at Pago Pago from the 2nd Marine Division. This force was more than a match for Sakaguchi, and the sharp meeting engagement at the edge of the heavy jungle soon checked his advance, and then pushed him into a stubborn withdrawal.

It was lack of adequate supply that was hindering his operation more than anything. He had sent the three infantry battalions and one SNLF battalion off lightly supplied, intending to quickly storm into Suva from the north. Now he had been stopped cold and pushed back, and his men were tired and hungry, with many companies almost completely out of ammunition. The Japanese had no choice but to continue their retreat in that sector, and by the 8th of May, the US Marines had pushed to within 15 kilometers of the small port of Tavua and the airfield about five klicks inland.

Further south, the Abe Detachment, and Kimura’s Recon Regiment had better luck. They doggedly pursued the withdrawal of the New Zealand troops, pushing them off a temporary holding action along the Singatana River leading down to Nayawa on the coast. Weary after the long march from Nandi, the Kiwis needed rest, supplies and fresh ammo of their own. General Patch therefore sent first the 164th Regiment of his Pacifica Division, and then the 182nd, both marching along the Queens Road that followed the coast.

By the time they stabilized the line, and relieved all the Kiwis, the Japanese had nearly overrun the makeshift airstrip at Korolevu. With both regiments finally formed up, and with the full division artillery behind them, Patch was confident he could hold the line.

The situation the Japanese soon found themselves in was now far from satisfactory. Abe and Kimura had been stopped, Sakaguchi pushed back, and the long awaited reinforcements in the Tanaka Regiment were still far to the east near Noumea where they had been held in place pending the outcome of the naval battle. Now that the Kido Butai was withdrawing, the only Navy presence would be the flock of planes and pilots that had come fluttering in to Nandi and Tavua fields, unable to land again on their carriers, which was somewhat ominous in itself.

General Tsuchihashi of the 48th Division had adequate supply near the two landing sites, but little or no transport. It was only after he received the report that Sakaguchi had failed to make the sweeping maneuver against Suva, that he now contemplated his situation in a darker light. Somehow, the enemy had achieved parity, he thought.

There may have been more enemy troops here than we believed, and now the navy is withdrawing. Those planes and pilots that landed here will most likely not remain long as well, for the Admirals will want their pilots of the Misty Lagoon back directly. Thus far, 4th Air Fleet has sent nothing but bombers to Noumea, but no land based fighters. The range was so far from there that any practical use of those planes was prohibited until the runways could be expanded on Fiji to accommodate them. It appears that we are in for a bit of a siege here. Under the circumstances, I must suspend further offensive action until Tanaka arrives… if he arrives at all.

Thus far we have swept all before us, except for that brief delay on Singapore, most likely due to Nishimura’s foolishness. My division bested the Americans in the Philippines easily enough, and the Dutch were no match for us. Yet I really have no more than half my division here, and Sakaguchi’s troops were not as good as my men. So we wait for Tanaka, and hopefully it will not be necessary to request further reinforcements.

If wishes were horses… It was going to be necessary, and sooner than the general believed, for a new war had begun there on that island. In Fedorov’s history it began somewhere else, in the fetid, humid jungles of Guadalcanal. This time it was Viti Levu, though as the naval battle was being fought, engineers and elements of the 3rd SNLF had also landed at Lunga on the island of Guadalcanal. They were surveying the ground along the north coast for good airfield sites, and the place looked very promising. Whether the long, grueling struggle there would ever repeat itself remained to be seen. For the moment the center of the gyre was Fiji, where both sides were now arm wrestling to gain the advantage.

On the American side of the equation, both Patch and Vandegrift thought they could win this one. Their enemy would be stalwart and it would be a difficult battle, but they believed they had the sheer mass to do the job. If the two divisions they already had on Viti Levu were not enough, the entire 37th Division was on the big adjacent island of Vanua Levu, and there were two more in Australia the 32nd and 41st, much closer to Fiji than any reinforcements the enemy could call upon.

While Halsey had held off the powerful Japanese Navy, he was now under strict orders not to engage with the last two carriers the US possessed. He wouldn’t have to. Yamamoto was gone, and he had free reign in the Fijis now, and a good base at Pago Pago that had been receiving plenty of fuel via tankers. There was no way the enemy could pull a Pearl Harbor, for Allied air units in the Fijis would surely spot any attempt to attack Samoa.

For now, the fighting Admiral would find he had 123 operational planes between Enterprise, Wasp and Shiloh. The Antietam would be repaired this week, and add another 20 more, so the raw naval aviation available to either side in the theater was a dead wash. The US was getting in more ground aviation support, a couple Seabee Battalions to work on putting more airfields into use, particularly on the adjacent island of Vanua Levu.

Unless strongly supported by carriers, Halsey believed that he could prevent any strong reinforcement of the Fiji position by the Japanese. But developments further up the chain of islands leading all the way back to Rabaul were somewhat foreboding. The Japanese now had a magnificent anchorage at Tulagi, and had landed on Guadalcanal. They had Espiritu Santo in the Santa Cruz Islands linking the Solomons to the New Hebrides, and were masters of the Solomon Sea. They had airfields building up at Lae, Port Moresby, Buka and a seaplane base in the Shortlands.

While none of these bases were really well established yet, they would be developed over time. Halsey proposed that he return to the fast raiding style that had seen him open this campaign in the Gilberts. He sent a message to Nimitz asking for permission to raid the New Hebrides, and all these other bases once he could rest assured there was no additional ground force being aimed at Fiji. Nimitz gave him that leeway, but stressed that he was not to engage in any situation where he might now find himself facing significant enemy naval air power.

Weakened by the heavy losses to their carriers in the Coral and Koro Seas, where Halsey had fought that last desperate battle, the US could not really consider any further offensive moves against other Japanese held territory until they received more carriers. Unfortunately, only one might be expected soon, the first in a series of twelve Essex class carriers that were now building. Halsey knew that his enemy had further resources in their Home Islands, and still had a much stronger carrier fleet. It had taken the loss of three fleet carriers to blunt the Japanese attack into Fiji, and unhinge Operation FS. Their lance pierced the US shield before it broke, and the enemy was well established in the Fiji Group. The only question now was whether they would return soon with reinforcements, or whether the small advantages the US now possessed based on position, logistics, and their “ground game” would win through for them.

Nimitz was very worried now, and afraid that one more big loss in the South Pacific could set back the US war effort there for a full year. “It would take us that long to build up our strength again,” he said to Admiral King. “Particularly in the carrier arm of the fleet. Oh, Halsey fought well down there, but we just can’t let him put either Enterprise or Wasp at risk now. I’m calling him home to Pearl.”

“What for? Just because he’s a fighter? We need men like that down there.”

“True, but Halsey is exhausted. He’s carried our entire war on his back, fought the Japs hard, but the man needs rest. That skin condition that’s been bothering him is now much worse. I’m ordering him hospitalized.”

“Who’s taking over? You aren’t going to hand those last to flattops back to Fletcher, are you?”

“Ray Spruance.”

“Well hell, he’s another Black Shoe Admiral. Wasn’t he on the Mississippi?”

“And he did a fine job there. He’s on the Northampton, and I’m flagging him for the duty today. Halsey is flying out to Canton Island and taking a destroyer to Pearl. Spruance can hold things together until he gets back.”

“Fletcher won’t like it.”

“He had his chance in the Coral Sea and we lost two good ships there. So Fletcher stays with that battleship squadron.”

And that was that. Nimitz knew Halsey was as good as they came, but not in this situation, not with him weary, hurting, stung by the loss of so many good ships and men, and down with medical problems. Like the ships he fought, he needed refit and replenishment too. The Fighting Admiral would return soon enough, when the Essex was ready, but for now Ray Spruance was in charge of the South Pacific Fleet.

“Now then,” said Nimitz. “What do you make of this Siberian adventure up north?”

“Damn interesting,” said King. “Their head honcho over there has been making overtures about opening up airfields for us on Kamchatka. I’m not sure it would do us any good to put B-17s up there—the weather is horrible. But we’ve opened talks with the Siberians along those lines. I think we should take advantage of this.”

“What would you suggest?”

“I think we should see about sending them a couple Seabee battalions to help improve those airfields. We could put DC-3s in there at Petropavlovsk on Kamchatka, and then hop them over to Northern Sakhalin, and on to Irkutsk—set up a nice little air bridge to the Siberians and offer them supplies and aviation support. That’s what they’ve been asking for. We also ought to get some kind of outpost in the Aleutians, a good link to Kamchatka. But what’s all this talk I’ve been hearing about this Siberian battleship?”

“Your guess is as good as mine. But something bushwhacked the Japs on their way home from Pearl.”

“HYPO has been picking up some real strange signals traffic whenever the Siberians operate. But this is one code they just can’t crack. That said, whenever they do get these signals, we later learn there’s been some trouble with the Japanese fleet. In fact, we now think the Siberians might have had something to do with the sinking of that carrier limping home from Pearl.”

Nimitz frowned. “I thought it was a submarine.”

“It would be nice if it was, but it wasn’t one of ours. HYPO says they got a lot of this odd signals traffic just before that ship went down.”

“Well radio waves don’t sink ships,” said Nimitz.

“Something did, and now we think the Siberians have a big battleship up north supporting these operations. HYPO’s picked up a new code word the Japs are using about it—Mizuchi. There was some kind of scrap during those landings on Kamchatka, and we think they Japs got the worst of it.”

“Must be one hell of a battleship, but where in hell did the Siberians get the damn thing? You know they can’t build anything like that.”

“No, it had to come from the Soviets. I think Sergie Kirov is trading off with the Siberians in exchange for troop support. God knows, he needs all the help he can get, and the Siberians need naval support. But we should look real hard at this situation. What we’ve got here is the fledgling makings of a second front against Japan in the North. If the Siberians mean business, and that can be developed, we ought to support them any way we can. I’m going to recommend that we sneak quietly into the Aleutians and at least set up good observation posts there. An airfield would be even better. Then those DC-3s could hop from Seattle to Dutch Harbor, or even Adak, and on to Petropavlovsk. This is an opportunity we shouldn’t over look.”

“It’s a thousand miles from Petropavlovsk to the nearest big Japanese city. That would be Sapporo on Hokkaido, and our B-17s couldn’t even get there and back with a typical load of 1000 pound bombs.”

“Which is why this situation shaping up on Sakhalin Island is interesting,” said King. “It’s only 700 miles to Sapporo if we get a base up there near where the Siberians have landed. Now imagine if they have what it takes to push on further south.” King pulled out a map, Pointing to the center of Sakhalin. “If we could get airfields here, then all of Hokkaido is easily within range of our B-17s, and when we get the new B-29, we could strike any city in Japan from there. How long would it take us to fight our way close enough to Japan from the South Pacific? Suppose we take Guam back, or Tinian. That’s still over 1400 miles from Tokyo. Only the B-29s could make that, but from central or southern Sakhalin, we could hit Tokyo with B-17s.”

“Air Force talk,” said Nimitz. “Leave that to them.”

“Yes, but the Navy has to get them the bases they’ll need for the job. That’s on our watch. Now, we can slug it out with the Japs from one island to the next down there, and it could take us a couple years to get close enough for that fight to matter. Yet at this very moment, we’ve got the Siberians over there putting troops on Sakhalin and showing every intention of pushing south to reclaim that entire island.”

“The Japanese will fight like hellcats to prevent that. If we can see this, they can see it too.” Nimitz leaned back, thinking. “Yet I agree that we ought to support them any way we can. When do you go to the President with this?”

“Next week. In the meantime, you keep an ear to the ground on what’s going on over there for me. Tell your boys in HYPO to listen real good for this signals traffic they say they’ve picked up. If we can get some subs up there to have a good look around, all the better. This could be bigger than we think. We need to sit up and pay attention.”

“Alright, Rey” said Nimitz. “I’ll see what I can do. If the Siberians can help take the pressure off us down south, all the better.”

Chapter 35

Admiral Kurita had every reason to believe he would soon be returning to the South Pacific. After all, the Siberians had no navy to speak of, and surely all these rumors about a demon ship, Mizuchi, were exaggerated. Yet, when Yamamoto had selected him for command here, the senior Admiral had given him a foreboding warning.

“What I will tell you now is known only to a very few,” he said. “Hiryu was not sunk as a result of damage sustained in the Pearl Harbor attack. It was sunk by the Siberians.”

“The Siberians? How is that possible? They have no navy. Was it a submarine?”

“A rocket attack—fired from a ship we have yet to set eyes upon. This is the same ship that damaged Mutsu and Chikuma, and when you get to the Home Islands, I order you to personally inspect the damage put on those ships.”

“I do not understand. A rocket attack? Then the rumors flying about the fleet are true? Mizuchi is real?”

“Very true, and very real, though I do not encourage fear mongering. We do not know how they came to possess such a ship, but the fact that it exists is enough.” Yamamoto would, of course, never reveal the whole truth concerning the existence of that ship, for he could still scarcely believe it himself. “Its primary weaponry is rocketry, and they are fast, lethal, and have a very long range. They can strike your ships from well beyond the range of your battleships’ biggest guns, and well over the horizon—and from what we have seen, these rockets have deadly accuracy—they never miss their targets.”

That was very sobering talk, particularly when coming from the Fleet Admiral, and Kurita took a moment to let it settle. Then he set his jaw, determined. “What are my orders?” he asked.

“First do as I have instructed. See the damage on Mutsu. You are being promoted from 7th Cruiser Division to commander of the 1st Battleship Division. That division will now be composed of our two newest ships, Satsuma and Hiraga. They are presently at Urajio, but will move to Sapporo as the heart of the close escort force for the 7th Division troop transports. Those troops are going to Karafuto to deal with the Siberians that have landed on the northern end of that island. Adequate cruisers and destroyers will be added to support this mission.”

“It should pose no difficulties.”

“Unless Mizuchi appears. You must be very diligent. Scout well, and to aid that effort, I am attaching a very special ship to your task force, the cruiser Takami.”

Kurita inclined his head. “I know most every cruiser in the fleet, Admiral, but I have not yet heard of this one.”

“That is because it is a very secret ship, something entirely new. Do not think that the Siberians and Russians are the only ones who have developed this new rocket technology….”

“I see. This Takami also has such weapons?”

“It does, though it was designed as a fleet defense ship. Most of its rockets are meant to be used against enemy aircraft, or against the rocket weapons this Mizuchi flings against your ships.”

“Ah! Then it can shoot down the enemy rockets?”

“This is what we hope. But Kurita, this is very secret. It will be the first time Takami enters combat, the first real test of its capabilities. Nothing is to be said about this ship. Understand? It will operate well ahead of your fleet, beyond your forward horizon. Keep it there, and do not interfere with its operations. You will receive encrypted communication via the special radio set that has been transported to your flagship. A member of Takami’s crew will operate that equipment, and report directly to you. Coordinate carefully with Takami. It is commanded by a Captain Harada, and I ask you to heed his experience and judgment. He is specially trained in the use of these new weapons.”

“Another secret project,” said Kurita. “A pity this ship was not with you in the Koro Sea…” Kurita realized he probably should not have said that, but Yamamoto raised a hand, as if to say all was well.

“That was my responsibility—my fault. Hara fought well, but we should not be surprised that the American Navy fares better than its Army did on the Philippines. There they were taken by complete surprise, yet they endured four months, unlike the British in Hong Kong and Singapore, or the hapless Dutch colonies. Do not underestimate the Americans—they will be our fiercest and most capable opponent in this war, and each and every battle holds the possibility that we will lose good men, planes, and even ships. Last December, when we sailed for Pearl Harbor, we had six fleet carriers, six more light carriers, and the two scout carriers. We lost both of those in the Gilberts, and now we have lost half our fleet carriers and a third of our light carriers. This is war, but thankfully, we have also done much harm to the enemy. We destroyed their battleships at Pearl Harbor, for what they were worth, and we have also sunk at least four of their best fleet carriers.”

“Speaking of that,” said Kurita, “will I have naval air cover for this mission, or rely on our land based aircraft?”

“Both. Admiral Kakuta is being given command of the 2nd Carrier Division—Kaga and Tosa. Between those two you will have 150 naval aircraft, and at least three more squadrons operating from airfields on Hokkaido. Think of this Mizuchi as if it were an enemy aircraft carrier, not a battleship. Consider its rocket weapons as determined pilots—so dedicated to bringing harm to their enemies that they would pilot their planes directly into your ship to be certain they scored a hit. That is what you will be facing. Hopefully, our new fleet defense cruiser Takami will prove its worth, but you must also be prepared to strike the enemy in any way you can.”

“I promise you I will find this demon, and slay it.”

“I would never doubt your skill or heart for battle, but be cautious, Kurita, be very cautious. You must allow Takami to take a position in the vanguard of your fleet. It has advanced radar systems that can find the enemy for you, and scout aircraft as well. I have also spoken to Vice Admiral Kakuta and ordered him to keep his carriers well behind your main covering force with the cruisers and battleships. That is your second mission—protect those two carriers! The loss of Zuikaku and Shokaku dealt us a very hard blow. We must preserve all the fleet carriers that remain, and thankfully, Tosa is now ready for operations with Kaga. Remember what I have told you. Hiryu was struck by just one of these deadly enemy rockets, and it set off all the ready ammo, fuel, and combat loaded planes in the hangar deck. The fires were terrible. Remember that.”

“Do not worry, Admiral, our pilots are every bit as capable as those rockets may be.”

“That may be so, but this Mizuchi also has smaller rockets designed to shoot down our aircraft. That was why there was no air cover over Kazantochi when the Siberians surprised us there. Again, all of this is my fault. I was so preoccupied with our operations in the south that I overlooked the threat in the north. That will not happen again, which is why I now send you, our most promising and dedicated Admiral. Fight well, Kurita, but use your head.”

“You can rely on me, Admiral.”

“Good… One thing I have told Kakuta is that he must disperse his strike wave into individual Shotai. No more than three planes must be in close formation, and even they are to disperse at the first sign of enemy rocket fire.” This was something Lieutenant Commander Fukada had tried to impress upon Yamamoto, and he passed the lesson on. “Another thing,” Yamamoto continued. “Takami must first do all it can to stop the enemy rocket attacks aimed at your fleet. That is why it stands in the vanguard. Kakuta’s carriers should only strike after the signal to do so is received from Takami.”

“And what if we were to lose that ship?”

“Then you must use your best judgment in deciding how to proceed, but do as I have ordered and walk the decks of Mutsu. Preserve those fleet carriers, and also realize that, while you will command our two newest battleships, Mutsu did not suffer that damage simply because it was old. After considering that, if you can kill this demon, you will do the Emperor, and your nation, a very great service.”

Kurita bowed, a gleam in his eye, and was soon on his way.

* * *

DDG-180 embarked on the long voyage north with Kurita’s cruiser squadron, while the outcome of Operation FS was being decided in that hot carrier duel in the south. Fukada had been restless the whole time. He had been unhappy with Yamamoto’s decision to send the ship north. In spite of the fact that the history was already quite different, the battle in the south, was one he could at least grasp and easily understand. While Operation FS had actually been planned before it was eventually cancelled in the history he knew, the situation in the north was entirely different. It was a history that had never happened, and there was no safe harbor for his thinking and planning, no way to understand what was really going on—at least not in terms of the Second World War.

“Face it,” said Harada. “We have to look at this situation as if it were happening in our own time now. We’ve drilled maneuvers in the Sea of Japan for decades. The Bear was always our presumed adversary, along with China. So this is going to be a simple fleet defense operation. That’s the only way we can look at it.”

“It’s going to be dangerous,” said Fukada. “We’ve gamed out maneuvers against the Red Banner Pacific Fleet, but that was when their toughest capital ship was an old Slava class cruiser—and we always had the American 7th Fleet watching our backs.”

“Having a few regrets now about the side we picked in this fight?” asked Harada. Sure, it was always reassuring to know the US fleet was out there with us, but not this time. We’ve got to internalize this another way. Assume it’s 2021. The 7th Fleet is mustering near Guam and intending to intervene in the Taiwan thing. We’re left up here and get word the Russians have crossed the demarcation line on Sakhalin. Takami is ordered north to accompany a couple of our helo carriers and show the flag. We’ve converted them to light strike capable carriers with the F-35s aboard, again, thanks to our old American friends.”

“Don’t rub it in,” said Fukada. “Alright, the one common denominator in both situations is the incontrovertible fact that Russia is our adversary. This time they mean business, and there’s a Kirov class battlecruiser in the Sea of Okhotsk supporting their Air/Sea reinforcement of Sakhalin. We’re to support Kurita’s task force, which will include two carriers, and assure the transport of two regiments to Sakhalin.”

“That’s job one,” said Harada. “And I think we can handle that easily enough, unless Kirov intervenes directly. Then we’ve got a real fight on our hands. My advice is that we ask Kurita to play a defensive role here, but suppose he decides to get more offensive minded?”

Fukada shrugged. “Those two carriers won’t have much real offensive punch against a ship like Kirov,” he said. “If they could get through their SAM defenses, then yes, they could deliver 250 KG bombs that would hurt that ship easily enough. But they won’t get through. You and I both know that.”

“And we haven’t the SSM inventory to put any real pressure on Kirov’s SAM umbrella. Our eight Type 12 Anti-Ship Missiles would all have to be fired in a big salvo to have any chance of even one getting through, and that is a slim chance at best. Could we time a salvo like that to coincide with a strike from those two carriers?”

“We might, but remember, Kirov is packing S-300s. They can engage any formation of carrier aircraft well before they ever have a chance to close on the target. Those men won’t know what hit them. I stressed this with Yamamoto, and asked him to order the pilots to fly widely dispersed patterns on approach.”

“Can’t we counter those S-300s?”

“We’d have to use the SM-3s. Face it, the Russian missile tech is second to none. That S-300 is damn fast. Later versions can get to 5000 meters per second velocity, and that is well beyond the capability of even a missile like the Patriot for an interception. Perhaps our only solace will be the fact that they will have that missile in limited numbers, but even their mid-range SAMs can fire out at least 80 kilometers. They’ll fire in large salvos, and we won’t be able to stop them. Our best bet is to use our own SAMs to stop any SSMs they direct against our ship or the carriers we’re defending. Their P-900s will be easy to catch—they’re subsonic until terminal mode. The Moskit IIs only haul at Mach 3, and we should handle them as well.”

“So we play defense for those carriers against the SSMs,” said Harada. “But we can’t really help them get through Kirov’s SAM defense, not unless we throw every SSM we have at them at just the right time.”

“It will be difficult to predict that outcome,” said Fukada. “But if we do go offensive, I’d use our Type 12s against other shipping. That’s what they were originally conceived for. Our 5th Anti-Ship Missile Regiment at Kumato was going to use them to target Russian Amphibious vessels.”

“That means we’d have to be within 120 Klicks of the target. Getting that far north with Takami could be a problem. They won’t be landing down south.”

“No argument there,” said Fukada. “And we won’t want our carriers up that far either. My thought was that we could take this loaf in slices. Stand east of Korsakov for phase one operations. That will put us in a good position to interdict any move the Russians make towards our reinforcement operation.”

“What about the carriers?”

Fukada shook his head. “Frankly, we’d be better off on our own. If Kurita moves up there with us his carriers will just be a magnet for Russian missiles. We won’t attract too much attention alone if we stay passive on the electronics. We lie in wait….” Fukada had a strange look on his face, as if he was trying to see the battle that was coming. “They won’t expect us here, and they’ll likely be radiating like there’s no tomorrow. Otani will pick them up, and then we get a very brief window to decide what to do. What we need is for someone to wiggle a left jab in their face. Then we hit them with a good right cross—all eight Type 12 missiles—all or nothing.”

“So you’ve changed your tune about using them against the transports.”

“You were right—we’d never get that far north without being detected and challenged, and we don’t want Kurita up there.”

“Who wiggles the jab?”

“We have to have some air power in lower Sakhalin. Once we locate Kirov, we vector them in. A nice little bomber strike would be enough to fix their attention west toward the island. Then we launch all eight Type 12s in sea skimmer mode. I just wish the damn things were faster. The Type 12 runs just a whisker below the speed of sound. If we fire at anywhere near our maximum range, and we’ll want to, then we’re looking at five minutes to target on those missiles.”

“Right…. And the Russian Moskit IIs move at Mach Three. So while we’re sitting here looking at our watches and waiting out those five minutes….”

“I get the picture, but I don’t see any other option. Five minutes sounds like an eternity when the other fellow can throw back something that fast. Who knows, maybe they’ll get stupid and counter with their P-900s.”

“Don’t bet on that,” said Harada. “This Karpov knows what he’s doing. No. All we have going for us if we attack is those few minutes of shock and uncertainty. They won’t know what’s coming at them, unless they have some kind of wizard on their sensor suite. So I’m betting on that little interval of confusion while they try and convince themselves that the Japanese of 1942 suddenly have a near speed of sound missile.” The Captain shrugged, his arms folded, thinking. “All or nothing. We let that punch fly and see if we get lucky.”

Fukada nodded. The great risk they were taking here was very apparent to him now, but even as he felt this, another idea occurred to him, though he said nothing about it to Harada. All or nothing…

Chapter 36

It was an odd place for a crucial turning point in the war to be found, and few who worked there knew that the project they were now undertaking would become one of the most secret and most significant of the entire war. There, at the new Applied Physics Laboratory of Washington's Carnegie Institution, a team of scientists and civilian workers were attempting to solve a frustrating problem for the military—how to defeat enemy aircraft.

Since the end of WWI, the modern aircraft had been the bane of military defense planners and the chosen method of first strike on offense. Swarms of bombers, dive bombers, and fighters would lead any major assault on land. For the Navy, the hard lesson that control of the sea depended on control of the skies above that sea was taught over and over, from Pearl Harbor to the carrier duels that preceded the struggle for vital Pacific island outposts. It was the aircraft that was the true King of the battle space, not the lumbering battleships, and the value of a carrier rested solely in the fact that it could bring those aircraft to the fight.

For the last year there had been rumors throughout the US defense establishment of a new weapon that now threatened to upset the long steel reign of the military aircraft. Though the British had been very closed mouthed with intelligence on the matter, word had leaked through about the efficacy of rockets as an AA weapon.

Up until that time, rocketry was an arcane science, the province of physicists and engineers like Robert Goddard in the United States, who built liquid fueled rockets as early as 1926, achieving 34 successful launches before America’s war began in late 1941. Like Germany’s Wernher von Braun, Goddard was a true pioneer in the development of rocket technology. As a young boy Goddard had first dreamed of designing a device that could take humanity into space, as far away as Mars, all in the muse of his young 17-year-old mind while he was staring at the skies from the top of a cherry tree in 1899. He called it the moment of his first great inspiration, and celebrated it every year as a kind of anniversary on October 19th.

So when rumors began to fly that the British had a rocket weapon that could track and hit a speedy flying aircraft, the matter eventually found its way to Goddard’s design table. In Fedorov’s history, the Army had not come calling on physicists and aeronautical engineers until 17 August, 1944, when they issued a memorandum asking for a radar guided missile that could shoot down enemy strategic bombers. Bell Labs would take up the challenge, which would soon become the Nike Ajax Rocket project, but it would be seven long years before the first successful interception of a drone occurred in 1951.

The little demonstration witnessed by Admiral Yamamoto in Davao Bay was therefore quite ground breaking, and did much to shock him into embracing these two strange officers that had come to him, seemingly out of nowhere. Now he had sent these men, and their amazing ship, off to defend his northern fleet against the demonic powers of yet another interloper with awesome new weapons of war, the ship they called Mizuchi.

Rocketry was already plying its deadly craft, right there in the 1940s, in both the Atlantic and Pacific. Despite that fact, little was really known about the ships that used these weapons, and what was known was kept in the closely guarded circles of military intelligence organizations. Even as work began on this idea of hitting an aircraft with a rocket, the technical challenges were seen to be truly daunting. First they needed a stable and effective rocket, reliable and consistent performance, an engine that could propel it to desired altitudes, and a means of tracking and guiding it to the target. While history would record that all these challenges would be overcome, it would take time to accomplish that, and enormous resources.

While all this was going on, that frustrating problem of how to defend against enemy aircraft continued to be a sore thumb on the mailed fist of all armed services. Some argued that the best and only defense was yet another aircraft, but others looked for ways to improve the existing ‘low-tech’ defense approach being used—the venerable anti-aircraft gun. A man named Merle Anthony Tuve was another of those brainy PhDs tinkering at the edge of technologies that would soon combine to become lethal weapons of war.

He was exploring the use of radio waves to measure the height of the atmosphere, and it soon became apparent that radio waves could be used to measure other things as well. The fledgling technology that came to be known as ‘Radar’ would be one thing that emerged from that observation. One day, considering the problem of those bothersome aircraft, Tuve theorized that AA guns might be made much more effective if their shells could ‘see’ enemy planes. The way to give them those eyes would lie in his tinkering with radio waves, but his colleagues thought it would be too difficult to try and mount delicate radar technology on something subject to violent forces like an AA gun shell.

“No,” said Tuve. “Just use the radar as an early warning system on the ground, or something to help the gun get pointed in the right direction. What I’m talking about is just something that can tell the shell its target is near. You know, those shells have quite a blast radius for fragmentation shrapnel when they explode, but right now, they only do so on contact. Most AA shells just fly right past a target unless they score a direct hit, or explode at the fixed altitude set by their fuse. What I’m talking about is a kind of proximity fuse that can set off that shell when it gets anywhere near an enemy plane.”

Tuve became the founding director of the Applied Physics Laboratory, now at John Hopkins University, and there he set about to develop his idea, much to the delight of the Army. It took as many as 25,000 rounds fired from an AA gun for each hit obtained when Tuve started his project. During the Battle of Britain, the British estimated they fired an average of 18,500 rounds at German aircraft for each one they actually destroyed. When Tuve finished, he had cut that down to between 30 and 60 rounds, and this would improve as the war progressed. That was a staggering leap forward in the precision and effectiveness of AA guns, and it would become one of the most closely guarded technologies of the US war effort, as secret as the Manhattan Project, and in many ways more significant in its impact on the war effort in general.

Both the British and Germans had looked at the idea in 1940, but deemed it impossible to achieve. Tuve proved them wrong. What the team created was a miniature radio device that could simply bounce radio waves off any target it was approaching. Well before the development of the transistor, radios of that day all relied on very fragile vacuum tubes. How in the world would the team fit a glass tube into an artillery shell, and have it survive the violence of being fired from a gun?

The answer would come from another man, Dr. James Van Allen at the University of Iowa. He met Merle Tuve at the Carnegie Institute, and became a member of the National Defense Research Committee, the same group that would spawn the Manhattan Project. Van Allen had been working on creating more durable vacuum tubes for special rugged duty. He had learned that a small company was also involved with miniaturizing the tubes so they could fit inside a hearing aid. Those two attributes, ruggedness and miniaturization, would become key factors in the successful design of Tuve’s radio proximity fuse.

Materials were found to shield and cushion the glass, prevent the fragile tungsten elements inside the tubes from being damaged, and allow the vacuum tube to survive the shock of being fired from a gun—20,000 G-forces. Van Allen’s solutions helped the team deliver its first shock-proof tube by January of 1942 in Fedorov’s history. But the question of how to advance this technology had come earlier in these Altered States, another odd effect of Kirov’s influence on events. It was June of 1941 when the first fuses were tested here, and six months later, as many as 5000 proximity fuses had been produced and installed in AA gun rounds. That was largely due to Tuve’s tremendous organizational ability, and the team he coordinated to solve the problem. He believed in Napoleon’s first principle of war: “I can make up for lost ground, but never lost time.”

So Tuve insisted his personnel forget about saving money or resources, and focused entirely on saving time. It didn’t have to be perfect, it just had to get done, and before the enemy developed the same thing. “The best job in the world is a total failure if it is too late,” he said, “We don’t need the best possible unit, but we damn well want the first one.” Tuve insisted on speed in every aspect of the development process, but still achieved a 97% quality control rate on the overall system. Everything needed, the radio transmitter, antenna, tubes, battery detonation switches and safety measures, all had to fit into a tube no more than 1.5 inches wide and 8 inches long, and with a shelf life for storage in the shells of up to three years or more.

It would later be learned that the Germans had employed at least 50 small project groups to try and solve the same problem, but believed it would not be achieved in time to matter in the war. Tuve proved them all wrong. His small initial team would soon burgeon into massive production centers producing 40,000 rounds per day. Over 22 million would be produced in the war before it ended.

Naturally, the Navy was very interested in the idea of a much more accurate AA gun to protect its ships. The gun that would fire them was the QF 5-inch dual purpose gun mounted on ships from destroyer class up to battleships and carriers. The technology increased AA accuracy by an order of magnitude, one day achieving 90% kill rates on V-1 Buzz Bombs with only ten rounds fired. It was going to be so significant, that it would spell the doom of Japanese naval and land based air power as an effective strike weapon of war. The Japanese would eventually learn the trick themselves, but too late in the war to really matter.

They did not know it at the time, but the fruits of Tuve’s project, the effort of over 80,000 men and women, had already produced proximity fuse rounds for the U.S. Navy to make surface ships much harder targets for naval strike craft. The first ships to be fully equipped with the new rounds were already at sea, and had already fired them at the planes and pilots of Hara’s Carrier Division 5.

During that battle, Halsey had ordered Fletcher’s battleship squadron to make a run at the Japanese positions around Nandi, particularly the airfield they had captured there. Two ships in that squadron had the new special proximity fused AA shells for their 5-inch guns, the USS South Dakota, and the light AA cruiser Atlanta. They would now report back that the new rounds were a tremendous success. South Dakota had taken down four enemy planes for the expense of only 42 of the new rounds. Without them they might have had to fire close to 500.

The new proximity fused shells had arrived six months earlier than they did in the unaltered history, when the cruiser Helena was the first to receive them in November of 1942. The use of the shell itself, and even its existence, was still to be considered a closely guarded secret. They could only be fired in situations where the military believed it would be impossible for the enemy to ever recover a dud or misfired shell to learn its secret. This was why all those 5-inch guns now carried two types of rounds, one for use against other naval targets or in shore bombardment, and the proximity fused rounds for use against enemy aircraft.

In case the shells were ever found, or captured by the enemy, the US was already working on a special jammer that could be installed on its own bombers. It was designed to sweep the signal band used by the radio transmitter in the shells, and inhibit their ability to bounce a clear signal off the target. It worked, and that fact also contributed to the secrecy that surrounded the new shells. They could be easily jammed, and so their best defense was to prevent the enemy from ever knowing they existed.

Part XIII

Reap the Whirlwind

“He who sews the wind shall reap the whirlwind.”

― Hosea 8-7

Chapter 37

The Japanese had been quite busy on Sakhalin Island since they occupied it in 1908. They had settled most of the habitable land there, which was mainly restricted to coastal sectors and some inland valleys that separated the rugged, tree sewn mountains. It was largely considered to be a military zone, though a good number of Japanese civilians from Hokkaido had also migrated there, part of the work force necessary to build out the infrastructure. Over the years, they had improved existing roads and built new ones, established numerous airfields and expanded ports. One significant addition was the building of railroads to improve overland communications from north to south.

Cultural influence and civilian occupation was heavier in the south at Ezu Province, the nearest to Hokkaido. That portion of the island extended like a great crab claw, which opened to embrace Chitose Bay, the approach to the first of two major ports on the island at Otomari. The Siberians had once called that place Korsakov, but now it was thoroughly Japanese, a thriving commercial port augmented by the fishing port of Aniva 20 kilometers to the east on that same bay.

The island then extended north along the crab leg through Maoka and Shikuku provinces, with rail lines winding north along both coasts. There, another well-established port at Shikuka presided over the wide curving coastal region of Taraika Bay. It had formerly been called the port of Poronaysk , and from there a single rail line ran north into the central inland valley between two rugged spurs of highland mountains. It would pass through South Karafuto Province, following the line of a long winding river into North Karafuto, the beginning of the oil development region on the island.

Here Siberian influences were more pronounced, and there were still large inland segments of North Karafuto that were largely uninhabited by the Japanese, the province of the Ainu, Orok and Nivkh tribes, which were very friendly with Karpov’s troops and worked for them in small guerilla groups, the local partisans.

The northernmost port worthy of the name was at Okha, where there was also considerable oil field development already underway by the Japanese engineers. Earlier that winter, Karpov had flown in what amounted to a single battalion of Naval Marines and a few supporting troops to seize the northernmost tip of the island, occupying an area extending about 50 kilometers south. Now, with the sea ice finally permitting approach to the region, he was out to seize all of North Karafuto, which extended all the way as far south as the port of Lazarev on the Tatar Strait. That province sat right astride the mouth of the Amur River on the mainland, and the port of Nikola there. Karpov wanted to control that, and all the Tatary Strait as far south as Lazarev.

With limited sealift capacity, he would only be able to move a single regiment and its supporting guns and supplies, but he had all four mountain regiments of the 32nd Siberian Division earmarked for this operation. It began on the 15th of May, three days before Kurita was to rendezvous with Kutaka’s carriers off Sapporo, so there would be no possibility for the Japanese to interfere with those initial landings aimed at Okha, which was all of 710 miles north of Sapporo.

Kirov was now standing off Okha, about 50 kilometers out into the Sea of Okhotsk, and so Karpov ordered Sergeant Troyak and his Marines to support the initial landing. Two KA-40s would be used, transporting all of Troyak’s contingent, and another group of twenty men from Karpov’s personal guard. Their mission was to land south of Okha, and seize the airfield the Japanese had built there, destroying any enemy aircraft they found. In spite of the growing threat, there was only a single company of Japanese troops at Okha, and when the Siberians transports arrived, they had no difficulty in getting ashore. Karpov soon had his port, and now the Naval Marines that had landed earlier were sweeping south to link up and complete his control of the northern segment of the island as far south as Okha.

Troyak and the other guard contingent then mounted up and took the helos due west to a point just north of Lupolovo on the west coast. The Japanese had two small airfields in the region, and they were to secure those, and then use the helos to keep an eye on the northern entrance to the Tatary Strait.

On the mainland opposite that strait, horsemen of the Bakshir, Yeseni, Ussuri, Amur and Siberian Cossack tribes were very active. They gathered in small battalion sized formations, securing all the vital roads and airfields in the region of the Amur River Mouth, where there was no Japanese military presence. The small port of Nikola would be secured without a fight, whereupon the horsemen, their mission accomplished, proceeded to loot the village and eat whatever food they could find in the region. It would be some time before Karpov moved regular units in there, but he technically had his access port to the lower Amur region, where he planned to eventually build up a considerable force for the planned move up that river.

South of Okha, two companies of air guardsmen had been lifted in by airships to take up positions and block enemy reinforcements. There they ran into a company of engineers, and numerous other small detachments that had been working on those southernmost oil fields. That was also the headquarters for the single battalion that the Japanese had posted in the area, which was now making frantic calls to the south that the invasion had begun. He was informed to hold his ground, destroy the oil facilities to prevent their capture if necessary, and that two battalions were already enroute from the south.

Colonel Kumida of 1st Battalion, 25th Karafuto Brigade, slammed down the radio handset, enraged that the Empire had not taken this threat more seriously. How could his single battalion possibly defend all of North Karafuto Province? His five rifle companies were scattered all along the coast, and now, a deep shadow suddenly shrouded the scene, he rushed out to see the massive shapes of many airships overhead. The wink of fire from an undercarriage recoilless rifle was most unwelcome.

The remainder of the 25th Karafuto Brigade was itself scattered all over Sakhalin Island, each of the five battalions having a specific province to garrison. 5th Battalion was detached from that duty and was coming up by train from the south west coast, a region deemed unlikely to see enemy landings any time soon, but it was stopped near the village and airfield at Nogaliki, where a tribal partisan group had cut the rail about 50 kilometers south of Kumida’s position. He still controlled the major oil fields, with three of his rifle companies, an engineer company and a machinegun company, so he set about ordering his men to dig in near the main well sites while his engineers began to set demolition charges. Everything north of that area, all the way up to Okha, was indefensible, and his retreat south was already cut off by enemy troops off those damnable airships. Where was the air force?

It was well to the south. Given that the weather was always very bad in North Karafuto, none of the fields there had any aircraft assigned. The nearest Squadron was well south, at the northernmost end of the long inland valley, where the headquarters of the 2nd Battalion had been established to guard the rail line and the road to Aleksandrovsk on the Tatary Strait. There were three Shotai there, a total of nine Ki-27 fighter bombers, the plane the Allies would come to call the ‘Kate.’

The planes took off, soon running into a phalanx of airships under Karpov the Young, who had settled in quite nicely now as overall commandant of the Siberian Air Corps. He had six airships up south of Okha, and three more to the north. Odessa, Narva, and Novosibirsk began pouring out a hail of AA fire as the Japanese planes swooped down like jackals around a herd of water buffalo. Soon their fire was joined by Orel, Angara and Abakan, the 20mm top mounted guns proving very effective in discouraging those planes. A few Ki-27s made brave passes, with three quickly shot down, and the fourth seeing his machineguns seemed to have no effect on the unwieldy targets. Those self-sealing gas bag liners were doing their job, and the Japanese would find it would take a much heavier cannon to put any real harm on the airships.

2nd Regiment of the 32nd Siberian followed the first into Okha on the 16th to begin pushing south along the east coast. On the night of the 17th, The Siberian Karpov informed his younger self that he would be lifting the 3rd Regiment into the Tatary Strait for a surprise attack on the vital ferry site at Lazarev. There the Japanese had a single company of Kumida’s 1st Battalion on the island side of the ferry, and the mainland side had been garrisoned the previous day by a company detached from 5th Battalion. That company held Lazarev itself, but by mid-day on the 17th the opposite shore had been taken.

Destroyer Maikaze had been anchored at Nayoshi, the only Japanese warship in the Tatary Strait at the time. It was quickly ordered north with orders to interfere with that landing operation, and interdict the ferry site. This was going to set up a little duel there, as the younger Admiral was in Tunguska, heading south to support those landings with two other new T-Class airships, the newest additions to the fleet, Siberia and Baikal. Maikaze had begun to shell the Siberian positions ashore when the air squadron began closing on the scene, their recoilless rifles primed and ready.

On the bridge of Tunguska, Karpov was thinking this would be a time to have Fedorov handy, but he was far to the north, on the other side of Sakhalin near Okha aboard Kirov. He wanted to know what kind of main guns this Japanese destroyer might have, then simply decided it would likely have something in the range of four or five-inch deck guns. He was lucky the troops had all stormed ashore the previous night, because Maikaze also had 16 Type 93 torpedoes that would have wreaked havoc on the transports. But those six 5-inch dual purpose deck guns could also pose a grave threat to any of the airships, and Karpov was justifiably cautious.

He might put damage on the destroyer with one of his Koronet ATGMs. It would certainly penetrate, start a fire, or destroy any system it struck, but the warhead was only seven kilograms. These missiles were excellent bag busters against enemy airships, and he felt he would need many hits to truly mission kill that destroyer. He would also have to close to within 8 kilometers to fire, and that was well within the range of the enemy guns. In this instance, the best defense was his caution, and then he put in a call to Kirov on the other side of the island informing them of the situation.

As if sensing his brother self’s thoughts, the Siberian sat up higher in the Captain’s chair, suddenly alert. “Mister Nikolin,” he said, “anything to report on comm links?”

“Well sir,” said Nikolin, casting one eye towards Rodenko, as if checking to see if the Senior Lieutenant would give him any sign that he should make a report to Karpov concerning those odd signal intercepts. At that moment, his board lit up with an incoming call. Somewhat surprised, he toggled the switch and listened for the call sign. “Sir… I have Tunguska on the secure channel.”

“Very well,” said Karpov. “In my ready room.” He got up and strode to the hatch next to the chart room where he had installed a radio set for these special communications. There he soon learned that his brother wanted a missile.

“We completed the landing, but if that destroyer persists in the straits, it may put unnecessary damage on the ferry terminals and dock at Lazarev. I can feed you telemetry from our Oko panel and you’ll have a pinpoint on its position.”

“Good enough, and well done, brother. The operation is proceeding very smoothly, thanks to your able supervision. Standby. I will see what I can do for you. Siberian One, over and out.”

The Admiral strode back out to the bridge. “The ship will come to battle state one and make ready for surface target missile launch.”

“Aye sir,” said Samsonov, “sounding alert one and ready on SSM board.”

“Mister Rodenko, we will be receiving telemetry from Tunguska any second now. Feed it directly to the CIC.”

“Aye sir, getting a signal now.”

“Watch closely, Grilikov. This will be a good example of live fire action.” The big Sergeant was hovering near Samsonov’s position, where the two men often worked together now as Samsonov was training Grilikov on how to operate the missile launch systems. Grilikov settled into a chair next to Samsonov, and the two Goliaths hunched over the system board.

“Mister Samsonov,” said Karpov. “What is the range to the target.”

“Sir, I’m reading a single target at 228 kilometers—in the Tatary Strait, off Lazarev.”

“Correct. That will be a bothersome Japanese destroyer. It is right at the outer edge for our Moskit IIs, but the P-900s have the range easily. Sound inventory.”

“Sir, we have seven missiles remaining in the P-900 bank, including missile number ten.”

“Ready a single P-900, and fire. Set missile guidance to accept remote assist from the Oko panel on Tunguska on terminal approach.”

“Aye sir…. Missile ready, sounding launch warning and firing now as ordered.”

And that would soon be the end of Kagero class destroyer Maikaze, and a good number of her crew. The ship’s name meant ‘Whirlwind.’ It had sewn the wind with shells from its deck guns that day, unaware that a dangerous enemy was watching and waiting to strike. Now it would reap the whirlwind. The P-900 was effectively a cruise missile, and the longest range SSM in Kirov’s larders. Now there would only be six remaining, but the Japanese would have to trade a destroyer for that missile, and Karpov would secure both ends of that vital ferry site on the 18th of December.

* * *

Ryoko Otani was quick to spot the missile fire as the P-900 climbed to altitude for the subsonic cruise segment of its flight path. Takami was well out in front of Kurita’s task force, which was now slowly escorting the troop laden transports towards Karafuto. The safest and easiest port to debark them would be Otomari on Chitose Bay in the grasp of the lower crab claw made by the island. To screen them, Takami sailed off to take up station as a forward radar picket, well up the southeastern coast off a long spit of land that framed the eastern edge of Taraika Bay, called Cape Kira-Shiritoko. From that position they had a good look north up the long eastern coast of the middle and upper portion of the island. If Kirov moved south to get into any position to threaten the troop convoy, Takami would see that move easily enough.

The ship had assumed a stealthy EMCON mode, attempting to radiate as little as possible. Now that they were ‘in theater,’ a possible combat zone. Harada had ordered EMCON Alpha, total emissions silence. Since the SPY radar system was a passive phased array it could run in a mode known as ‘SPY-1 Silent’, and still receive and process signals radiated by the enemy, even while restraining its own signal emissions, and Kirov was radiating with no restraint, all over the spectrum, absolutely heedless of the fact that anyone might be out there listening.

The SPY system could see airborne threats out to about 175 nautical or 200 standard miles in this mode, and it wasn’t until the P-900 was descending into its terminal phase that Otani saw it, for it had just then come inside that detection range. It was there, there, then suddenly gone. The missile had descended to just a few meters in height, down on the deck to skewer the Maikaze, and was below Takami’s detection threshold when it finally struck home. But Otani knew what threats she might be looking for, and this one filled the bill.

“Con, radar. I just picked up what looked like a missile descending to sea skim mode. Sending coordinates to the CIC now.”

Chapter 38

“Understood,” said Harada. “Process it and tell me more. In the meantime…” He reached for the 1MC intercom to broadcast a message to all ship’s stations. “Now hear this, now hear this. We just got a whiff of our Russian nemesis out there, and it looked like they were already throwing some lead at somebody. Court’s in session and all stations will now come to order. For all you 90-day Blunders out there, that means rack time is over and it’s battle stations. I want everyone to emulate that time honored sailor of endless note—A. J. Squared Away. Do it now. This is the Captain. That is all.”

Harada’s time in training with the US Navy had seen him pick up a lot of the typical slang bantered about by their sailors. Now he looked to his radar station. “What was that contact, Lieutenant?”

“Had to be a missile sir. I’m figuring it was a P-900.”

“Get a line on its angle of approach?”

“Aye sir, just a few seconds, but it traces out to our estimated position based on SIGINT data.”

“Good enough. So who are they shooting at, and why all the way on the other side of the damn island?”

“Sir, that’s right at the Lazarus ferry crossing site,” said Michi Ikida, the ship’s navigator.

“So there must be an operation underway there,” said Fukada. They’d want that ferry site to establish communications with the mainland. It’s also the choke point on the strait. They can set up artillery there and then control access to the mouth of the Amur River from the south. How do you want to play this, Captain?”

“I don’t see anything we can do for that situation at the moment. Our watch is out here on the Sea of Okhotsk. The Siberians know that we’ll reinforce from Hokkaido, but they don’t seem too awfuly concerned about it.”

“They’ve accepted that in lieu of getting their own troops ashore in the north.”

“It sure seems that way. Well, once they are ashore, and well established, then they’ll push south. That’s when this Mizuchi comes south right along with them, and the fur starts flying. So this is my plan.”

He walked over toward the navigation station, looking over the map on Ikida’s screen. “We’ll move here,” he said, pointing to the long spit of land that framed the eastern edge of Taraika Bay. “We’ll take up station just west of that isthmus. We’ll know they are coming, but they won’t expect us here. Hovering west of that long isthmus gives us a little screen from their Fregat system. We stay silent, EMCON Alpha. But my bet is we’ll hear them coming like a bull in a China closet. They’ll be radiating, just like they are now, and when they get close, we get our friends to attack with any land based air power they have on lower Sakhalin. During that attack, we pop up a Sea King, and fix their location. Kurita must have his carrier based aircraft ready and also vectoring in on them at this time. With any luck they’ll just think it’s another plane. Then we throw everything we have at them, all eight Type 1 SSMs, and we keep our fingers crossed. Comments?”

“An excellent plan,” said Fukada. “But I have the icing for the cake. If we have them inside 50 klicks at that time, then we should use the deck gun as well. If not, then we should definitely use the rail gun.”

“The rail gun? It was meant for missile and aircraft threats.”

“True enough, but it can also lob that projectile out 200 Kilometers at Mach 7—and they can’t stop it. If we get a hit, it might be the equivalent of a 90mm gun for the damage it could do. There’s no explosive power, but it will damn well ruin any system it might hit on that Russian ship.”

“Very well, I’ll consider that. Anyone else? Mister Honjo, you’ve got the CIC. Any thoughts?”

“Just give me a target, sir. But I agree with what the XO says. If we go offensive, then we throw anything we have that might put damage on that ship.”

“Alright. Where do we want Kurita in all of this?” The Captain waited, but as expected, Fukada was first to answer.

“He’ll want to be aggressive once cut loose from that convoy escort. Those troops should be ashore by tomorrow morning. He’ll come looking for trouble after that.”

“Think we can dissuade him?”

“Why should we?”

“You want to expose those ships to a Moskit II barrage?”

“The more targets Kirov has to worry about, the better. I’d say we should let him sortie up the east coast as a fast surface action threat. Let Kirov take their shots, and then we can go after his SSMs—assuming they survive what we just discussed when we bushwhack them.”

“And the carriers?”

“They shouldn’t be anywhere near the action. I’d make a strong request that they operate from the lower Tatar Strait. Sakhalin Island will shield them from possible detection, but when they launch, those strike waves should fly due east, then turn northeast to overfly our position. They’ll have plenty of range. If they fly direct to the target, they’ll give away their bearing.”

“I agree, and I’ll see if I can make it so. Let’s just hope the Japanese cooperate. They can have a mind of their own, and as far as they are concerned, we’re just an auxiliary screening unit attached to Kurita’s group.”

“Well we need to get a handle on this. The way you have it planned, we might have a good chance to saturate Kirov’s defense. Maybe at least one of our missiles will get through. This is going to be interesting.”

“It’s going to be dangerous. Don’t anyone forget that. This is no drill, because if they get one missile through….” He didn’t have to finish.

* * *

Rodenko was the first to go to Karpov with the oddities discovered by Nikolin. The Admiral had been very pleased with operations now underway in North Sakhalin. He had dealt with that pesky Japanese destroyer, and his brother self concluded the seizure of the ferry site at Lazarus. Now he had the choke point on the Tatar Strait, and could position shore batteries there to prevent any further incursion by Japanese surface ships in the waters north of that point. This was important, because the next division he planned to sealift would go directly to the Amur River delta, where he would begin a buildup of forces there to secure that region and prepare for the drive that might eventually take him to Vladivostok.

On Sakhalin itself, he secured Okha, and then his tough Siberian troops quickly pushed south towards the oil fields. A battalion of the 25th Karafuto Brigade had been holding out there, with engineers trying to set charges. The fast moving Siberians stormed into the region, pushing swiftly through their resistance and securing the fields. Some sustained damage, but that did not matter. The oil was there, and it could not be destroyed. Karpov had what he wanted, and by May 22nd he had control of the top third of Sakhalin Island, as far south as Lazarev.

For their part, Kurita’s first objective in getting troops from the 7th Division from Sapporo to the lowermost Ezu Province on Karafuto had gone off unchallenged. Karpov, with limited sealift, deemed it essential that Kirov stand off Okha Harbor and protect those landings. If that meant he would permit the Japanese to reinforce from the south, so be it. His real intention at this stage was securing that valuable terrain, for there were airfields there that he could trade with the Americans like pearls for supplies and equipment.

The Admiral had been warned by Fedorov that the Japanese would have to respond to his incursions, but Karpov felt he could deal with them easily enough. “If they attempt to interfere with my landings, they will regret it,” he said. “At the moment, there isn’t even a whisper of protest from the Japanese Navy. Perhaps they’ve learned to fear and respect me, as they should.”

“Sir,” said Rodenko, “speaking of whispers. Nikolin and I have been trying to run down the source of some odd signals activity down south.”

“Explain.”

“Well sir, Nikolin thought he was hearing some high speed frequency hopping. That would be the kind of thing we might do in sending signals to friendly units with our equipment. But he thinks he located that traffic well south, so it wasn’t any activity from our sets in the airship fleet.”

“South… How far south. Mister Nikolin?”

“Sir, I first got a whiff of it two days ago. Rodenko was trying to help me by routing in a top mast antenna for better reception. Since we know where the enemy might be, I focused my search to the south, and set up a fingerprinting profile to look for anything suspicious in the traffic analysis. It’s been very intermittent, but a couple signals got my attention. They were in high frequency bands that would not normally be used in the 1940s, and they were hopping like mad. Someone didn’t want us to have a listen sir, and they had the means of protecting those transmissions with some very modern signals techniques.”

“Modern techniques. We are the only systems that could be called modern out here.”

“But they weren’t ours, sir. I’m certain.”

That got Fedorov’s attention. He looked over his shoulder listening carefully as Nikolin continued explaining what he had done, and then stepped into the conversation. “This is something we should pay attention to,” he said. “How frequent were these transmissions?”

“I’ve only heard three,” said Nikolin, “and nothing in the last twelve hours.”

“And the others?”

“All within this 24-hour period.” He handed Fedorov his SIGINT chart.

“That would be the time we suspected landing operations from Hokkaido were underway,” he said, looking to Karpov.

“Most likely communications related to that,” said the Admiral. “Well, we already know they’ve sent at least two regiments. It’s not a concern at this point.”

“No sir, it’s not the traffic, but the method of transmission here. Look at the frequency bands noted on Nikolin’s chart. Nobody uses those channels, and look at this data on the frequency hopping. That could only be accomplished by computer controlled electronics. It just isn’t the sort of thing vacuum tube equipment can do here.”

“You’re saying these signals were sent by modern day equipment?”

“Correct, and the fact that we can’t read them is even more of a red flag. Nobody in the Pacific should have anything even approaching that capability for signals encryption.”

Karpov’s eyes narrowed. “I see…”

“Sir,” Fedorov lowered his voice. “There are some matters I think we should discuss privately.”

“Alright. Walk with me, Mister Fedorov. I need some air.”

Out on the weather deck, Fedorov cleared his throat and set sail. “Sir, there are a few things you may not be aware of. While you were focused on building up your position here in Siberia, remember that Volsky and I had Kirov in the Atlantic.”

“How could I forget,” said Karpov, his voice laden with a tone that revealed some displeasure, though he did not take it any further than that.

“Yes… well you already know that Kirov was not the only vessel from our Russian navy to visit here. In the Atlantic and the Med, we encountered a few other… situations.”

“That has an ominous ring to it. What do you mean?”

“It’s a fairly long story, but seen as though you are an Allied head of state now, you may as well know it. There is another modern day ship at sea in the Atlantic, a British ship.”

“What? You mean a modern British ship of war?”

“Not exactly, but yes. This was a private ship, though it was purchased from the Royal Navy, a Daring Class Destroyer that was then heavily upgraded and modified to be a corporate security vessel for a small oil conveyor, a company called Fairchild Enterprises.”

“It’s here? Now?”

“That it is.”

“But how is that possible? We had Rod 25—that’s what moved both Kirov and then Kazan around, yes?”

“That and something more. Did you initiate a rod replacement cycle during your engagement with the 7th Fleet? No. It was in the Primorskiy Engineering Center, sending me on my little train ride to look for Orlov.”

“That was a very fateful ride,” said Karpov.

“It was, but the point I am making is that Kirov moved, and on that occasion there was no nuclear event involved either.”

“That Demon Volcano,” said Karpov, remembering it all now. One moment they were sailing in the massive ash fall shadow of a VEI Level 7 Ultra-Plinian Super-Colossal volcanic eruption, with tsunami driven seas and ashen skies that blotted out the sun itself, sending them into a limbo of brimstone and pumice—then they were suddenly cruising on quiet seas, with a strange tinge of green fire in the ocean, and pristine white cumulus clouds in an azure blue sky. The distant silhouette of the Kuriles was calm and undisturbed. There was no sign of the eruption at all….

“So large explosive events can cause time displacement,” said Fedorov, “and that volcano was one hell of an explosion. Your proximity to the volcano may have been the reason you fell through.”

“Yes,” said Karpov, “to 1945, and with Orlan and Admiral Golovko with me as well.”

“No magic control rods involved on any of those ships.”

“Alright Fedorov, you’ve made your point. What are you getting at with all this?”

“This ship we encountered in the Med came through somehow. I later learned that one cause could have been a missile strike aimed at its location in 2021. That aside, it was there, right in the middle of a rollicking fight with the Germans and Italian navies, and it’s still operating in the Atlantic today.”

“How very interesting,” said Karpov. “Then that could not be the ship responsible for these signals intercepts, could it.”

“Most unlikely.”

“And you were not secretly receiving a transmission from someone else using modern day equipment, eh?”

“Sir? Me?”

“Don’t look so surprised, Fedorov. You know that would be something I would have to consider. Volsky may be gone now, but you and the British became a nice little cadre there for a while—comrades all.”

“Well you can discard that notion,” said Fedorov. “I’m not secretly sending and receiving signals.”

“Could anyone else be doing so aboard ship?”

“Who? I doubt that very much, sir.”

“Then these signals Nikolin reported are coming from another source. Do you have any theories?”

“Well… There was just another major VEI 7 eruption at Krakatoa. Ships in the vicinity may have been affected.”

“Blown to hell, or elsewhere,” said Karpov with a grim smile.

“What I’m suggesting, sir, is that when there is a big event like that, the integrity of the continuum is profoundly disturbed. You fell through, along with Orlan and Admiral Golovko, and other ships could have fallen through during that event as well. But the key thing I’m trying to convey is this—if there’s a hole opening in time, things can go both ways….”

“You mean… things could fall into that hole from the future? How so? The explosive event occurred here, in 1942. I could see how it might blow away a nearby ship, but how could anything get here from some future time?”

“Well, if there was an explosion below decks, and it was powerful enough, it could rupture this deck—and you and I could fall through the hole. Understand? Krakatoa was a massive eruption. We have no way of knowing how far into the continuum its effects propagated. If it reached into modern times, our day….”

“I get the picture. What you are saying is that we could be looking at the possibility of uninvited guests.”

“We just may, sir. Something is out there on the VHF band sending signals they don’t want anyone else to hear, and using a method that requires modern electronics. We’d best be careful here until we know more.”

Karpov nodded. “Thank you, Mister Fedorov. Kindly send the order in to have the ship go to condition one alert. I think we’ll have a better have look around.”

Chapter 39

Sea of Okhotsk, 20 May, 1942 ~ 08:00

That was now what was on the mind of Admiral Kurita—get up north and have a look around. With the ice retreating, the Sea of Okhotsk was now open, and it was his charge to give challenge to the enemy by taking his task force north. Lieutenant Kobayashi reported to the bridge of the battleship Hiraga with the latest message from Takami. It was asking him to do exactly what he had in mind. Captain Harada was taking up a position in Taraika Bay up near the port of Shikuka, old Poronaysk under the Siberians. He had requested that Kutaka’s carriers move well west into the Tatar Strait and await a signal to then launch a strike wave and fly east to his position before being vectored north. Now Kurita was being asked to move north, up the east coast of Karafuto, towards the ongoing ground battle there.

Admiral Yamamoto asked me to cooperate with this Captain, thought Kurita, and as his mind and my own are in accord here, I will accommodate this request. Our troops up north will undoubtedly appreciate the sight of my battleships and cruisers off the coast.

For all his bravado, Kurita did not really have any idea what he was now going to be up against. The fledgling radar set that had been installed on Hiraga was incapable of ranging out to find the enemy ahead of him, or ever really effectively tracking its missiles. Kurita’s squadron was, in effect, like a group of near blind men with shotguns, huddled together and needing to get within close visual range of a target to fire at it. That was all they could represent, a possible close range threat against a modern ship like Kirov. They would not even know that ship was there, unless Takami fed updated position and ranging information in via that secure radio set.

Kurita had no conception of this. In his mind, he was aboard one of the finest battleships in the world, and the verbal admonitions of Yamamoto could not convey the danger he was now sailing towards. The inspection of the damage on Mutsu, however, had been quite sobering. He spoke with crewmen and officers from that ship, who told him of the lightning fast rockets Yamamoto had warned him about.

“You will see them easily enough,” said one man. “They claw the sky like Raiju, more terrible than the sky demon Itsumade. Yes, you will see them when they come, but there will be nothing you can do to stop them. Look how the fires consumed our ship!”

“Did you fire back at them?”

The man smiled. “There was nothing to shoot at. We never saw the enemy ship—only these terrible rockets.”

That gave Kurita pause, but he steeled himself. “Then they are cowards if they refuse to face you in battle.”

“That may be,” said the officer, “but here sits Mutsu, a burned wreck, and the enemy still commands the northern sea.”

“We shall see about that.” Kurita put on an outward face of bravado, but even the smell of the charred metal on old Mutsu haunted him for some time.

So now he sailed north, his watchmen straining to see through the misty dawn, his men ready for anything that might come. Yet he and his entire task force were merely bait, meat being thrown to the wolf. The officers of Takami were trying to get the attention of their adversary, and had asked Kurita to pose a threat, and then to withdraw upon their signal.

But that is not what would happen…

Taraika Bay, 20 May, 1942 ~ 10:40

At the moment, Takami was sitting with its SPY-1D in silent mode. The system was unmatched insofar as radiation control in that stealthy listening mode. Those sensitive ears could detect and to some extent track contacts by receiving the target’s own RF emissions and also by receiving echoes from other third party sources that would reflect off the target. This was why Captain Harada had asked all the conventional strike elements to be very free with radio communications on their approach to Kirov’s suspected location, for even simple FM band radio could bounce off a target and be detected by passive radars listening for such a signal.

For much more precise tracking of a contact, the system would have to actively radiate its own radar pulses to illuminate the threat, but in doing so it would also give its own position away. Yet once clearly fixed on a target, the lightning fast chain of electronic reflexes would quickly pass information to the ship’s Command Decision System, (CDS), which evaluated threats and sent the data directly to the Weapons Control System, (WCS), all in a heartbeat. There was no handover to a separate targeting fire control radar, which made AEGIS so quick and reliable on defense. The system was extremely robust, as technology injections had kept it right on the leading edge of what was possible, and the Japanese had upgraded to the AN/SPY-1/D(V) incorporating improvements in eliminating ground and background clutter.

“Kurita looks to be in position,” said Harada. “They should spot him before noon.”

“Should we get the helicopters up?” asked Fukada. “We’re not going to see anything over the horizon like this. All we’ll get is a general location on the target, and we already know that much now.”

“We need him to come south. Maybe they’ll take the bait.”

“Why should they?” said Fukada. “They have over the horizon strike capability. What makes you think they’ll come south? And I don’t like our position here. We’re bottled up in this bay, and can’t maneuver north. Your entire plan rests on the assumption that they’ll come to us.”

“You have a better idea?”

“I think we should backstop Kurita—move into his wake. If he gets too far north, then we can’t cover him with our SAM umbrella. We should get out of here and move east and north immediately.”

Harada thought about that. “Honjo?” he said to his CIC officer.

“He’s right, sir. We’re stuck here, and I can only throw the SM-2 about 75 klicks north of our position. If Kurita gets any farther north, he’s hung out there on his own.”

“What about our ERAM 174s?”

“I only have half a dozen, sir. Everything else is SM-2 unless you want me to use the SM-3.”

“No, keep them in the basket.” The Captain took a long breath, rubbing the back of his neck. “We need a better fix on their location, but if we sent up a helo we’ll give the game away.”

“Playing possum here won’t even get us in the game at all if he hovers up north,” said Fukada. “That’s what I’d do. His mission is to protect his troop convoys to North Sakhalin, and control the lines of communication back to Magadan. Our mission, now that our own troops have landed safely, is to interdict the enemy operations. We just can’t do that here.”

Harada nodded. “Alright. I hear you. Let’s notify Kurita that we’re moving east into his wake. As for the carriers and land based strike planes, they can continue to hold until we give the word.”

Sea of Okhotsk, 20 May ~ 11:10

It was that fleeting signal to the radio set on Hiraga that woke up Nikolin again that morning. He had been sitting, a bit bleary eyed, and wishing he had found some stronger coffee instead of tea that morning. But the COMINT profile module he had set up to listen for specific types of radio signals traffic was as wide awake as ever. The red light soon indicated that he had another fish in his net.

“Sir,” he said to Rodenko again. “I’ve another signal intercept. Looks like it was directed north, and a little stronger this time—same profile, short burst HF transmission with rapid modulation and hopping.”

Rodenko came over, looking over the data on Nikolin’s board, and then decided enough was enough. He went directly to Fedorov, who had the watch that hour, and reported. “Another signals packet intercept sir. Same heading and modulation. Someone is down there whispering again.”

Kirov had come south at 18 knots for the last 6 hours, radars sweeping the open sea and coastal regions of the long island. Now Fedorov thought it was time for a more active search.

“Mister Nikolin,” he said. “Send a message to the Helo Bay. I want the KA-226 ready for launch in twenty minutes—aerial search and reconnaissance. We need to have a closer look down south. Make sure they have the long range module installed for the Oko panel.”

“Aye sir.”

Fedorov gave Rodenko a look, but said nothing. He merely reached for the overhead intercom and punched up the officers dining hall. “Admiral Karpov, please come to the bridge.”

There would be no one in the dining hall to hear that call, for Karpov was up early and had finished his breakfast ten minutes earlier. He was already on the ladder up, and soon emerged from the main aft hatch, in what seemed like record time.

“That was fast,” said Fedorov.

“What? You needed me? Well, here I am.”

“We have a situation,” said Fedorov.

“Contact?”

“No sir, but more suspicious message traffic. I’m sending the KA-226 south to have a look around.”

“I’m still not sure what we think we might find there,” said Karpov. “But it will do no harm. Our operations here will soon be concluded. I have all three regiments of the 32nd ashore now, with supplies offloaded and the convoy withdrawing to Magadan this afternoon. This was a much easier operation than I first feared. I can relieve you now, Fedorov, if you’d care for a decent breakfast.”

“Sir, you have the bridge, but if you don’t mind, I think I’ll stay and see what this recon operation turns up.”

That tickled some inner sense in Karpov, for he knew his first officer very well by now. Fedorov was worried about something, and so was Rodenko. The delicate sensory network of the ship extended at the very end to the nerves and synapses of the men who stood their watches. They were good men all, and very capable in the positions they held. He needed to pay attention here.

It was not long before the KA-226 began to find pieces of the puzzle. It had moved south with impunity, at an elevation of about 15,000 feet. At that height its Oko panel had a marvelous view of the sea in all directions, spinning slowly beneath the undercarriage of the helicopter. About a hundred kilometers south of Kirov, it obtained its first contact, another 200 klicks south, and began feeding the data directly to the mother ship.

“Five contacts,” said Rodenko, “in a fairly tight surface action group. No telling what they are at this point, but signal strength is good, and I’m guessing that isn’t commercial traffic.”

That was a very good guess, for the KA-226 was looking at the battleships Hiraga and Satsuma, with three heavy cruisers, Mogami, Mikuma, and Takao. Kurita had been found.

Sea of Okhotsk, 20 May ~ 12:15

“Con, Radar has an airborne contact, bearing 375 north, range 280 kilometers approximate, and closing at 200kph.”

Fukada looked at Harada, a knowing look in his eye. “Someone is getting curious,” he said. “That has to be a helicopter.”

“Are we certain it isn’t a friendly off Sakhalin Island?”

“Could be, but they had orders to sit tight until we gave the signal for takeoff. And that contact is moving south.”

Harada rubbed his chin. This was not anything surprising. Kirov had helicopters available for recon and ASW missions, and this was undoubtedly one or the other. “They’ll be seeing Kurita by now.”

“In another ten minutes they make us too,” said Fukada.

“But as far as they are concerned, we would just be another ship out here. If our EMCON is tight, we shouldn’t arouse any undue suspicion.”

“What if they get orders to eyeball the contacts. Some of those Russian helos have good long range optics and camera systems.”

“If he persists south towards Kurita we can make that call. Sure, we could take it down, but that would pretty much seal the deal insofar as who and what we are. The air strikes aren’t in position yet. We’ve got to coordinate this thing perfectly if we’re to have any chance of pulling it off.”

“Then I suggest we get those planes in the air,” said Fukada. “Every second counts.”

Harada nodded. Someone was out there strolling at the edge of the lawn, and likely to come right up the garden path and knock on his front door any minute now. He had to act.

“Lieutenant Shiota,” he said firmly. “Signal Hiraga—one phrase. Climb Mount Takami.”

“Aye sir.”

That was the prearranged signal to execute the plan. Land based planes would approach Kirov’s suspected position from the southwest, the wiggle of that jab in Harada’s mind. The carrier based planes would come due east to his position, then turn north. Once they got there, he would get his own helos in the air, use them to find Kirov, and vector the strike waves in. His only problem now was the need to close the range as quickly as possible, so he could bring that big right hand into the fight. The Type 12 SSM could only range out 120 kilometers.

“Sir,” said Fukada. “We should get a helo up as well. If we stay passive, it should still get a good fix on their location.”

“And if they tag our Sea King?”

“Sure, they’ll see it, but it will just be an airborne contact. They would probably assume it’s just a seaplane. We’ve got to know where they are to have any idea how much sea room we’ve got to eat up here. We need to nail down the range to target, and fast.”

Harada had written the score, but now it seemed that Fukada was conducting the orchestra. He was much more on edge than the Captain, and his reflexes prompted him to take some action. They weren’t going to win this thing by simply playing possum.

“Agreed,” said Harada. “Let’s get Whisky-T in the air and have them move as far north as Kurita. But I don’t want them bumping noses with that bogie out there. You’re right about those cameras on the Russian helos. Helm—ahead full and steady as she goes.”

“Aye sir, engines ahead full and steady on.”

It was about to begin.

Sea of Okhotsk, 20 May ~ 12:32

“Con, airborne contact, low and slow, bearing 180 south of our helicopter.”

Karpov came over, eyeing the contact on Rodenko’s screen, all telemetry being fed by the Oko panel on the KA-226. The helo had been loitering, watching the approach of Kurita’s task force, but now Karpov was concerned.

“A single plane?”

“Looks that way sir,” said Rodenko. “Could be a seaplane off a cruiser.”

“Or a carrier.”

“I wouldn’t think that,” said Fedorov joining them. “If it was a carrier there to cover that forward group, they should have combat air patrols up by now.”

“This could be exactly that, the first plane to take off.”

“Well, the KA-226 is in no danger at this point,” said Fedorov. “They would have to get within visual range.”

At that moment, Nikolin spoke up again. “Admiral, sir. There it is again. COMINT profile has just picked up another transmission—very short burst this time, and aimed directly north.”

“North?” Karpov’s eyes narrowed. “Then it wouldn’t have originated from that forward group of five contacts. Who would they be signaling? It had to come from this ship here.” He tapped the screen to indicate the lagging contact. “They’re sending orders of some kind. That is a command ship, perhaps a flagship calling the shots. Very interesting.”

Rodenko was looking at his data very closely now. “You may be correct in that sir. The forward group has just increased speed by at least ten knots.”

Karpov looked at Fedorov. “A little cavalry charge,” he said with a grin. “Very well, I’m going to assume that is a surface action group up front, and that they are now attempting to close on our position.”

“How could they even know we’re here?” said Fedorov.

“Oh, they know we’re up here alright. They certainly won’t have a good fix on our position, but they know what we’ve been doing off Okha, and they’re sending this little group in to try and interdict our supply runs. It looks like the lesson we gave them off Kamchatka needs to be repeated.”

It was then that the situation took another twist. They all saw it, the red light on Rodenko’s board, and then the new contact winking on from the southwest.

“Airborne contact,” said Rodenko. “Three… five …. No, it’s looking like a good deal more, I have 15 contacts now, but they’re dispersing into multiple groups of three.”

“Shotai,” said Fedorov quietly.

“Mister Fedorov?” Karpov gave him a glance. “A strike aircraft?”

“A three plane formation, sir. That’s what the Japanese name a sub flight within a squadron—Shotai.”

“Look now, sir,” said Rodenko. “There’s another group—nine planes. The bearing is slightly off. I don’t think they really know where we are.”

“But they’ll be fanning out to search,” said Karpov. “That’s what this dispersal is all about.” He shook his head, having seen this so many times before, from the British long ago, and now the Japanese. “The ship will come to air alert one—S-300 system.”

Rodenko punched the alarm, the jangled nerves of the ship tightening up the sinews of war. Everyone on the bridge straightened in their seats, sitting taller, more alert. The tension was obvious, except around Karpov, who seemed completely calm and deliberating.

“The Japanese Navy,” he said, somewhat disdainfully. “So here they come at last, only they have no idea what they are getting themselves into. This time we teach them with the hard stick of war. Here they come, sewing the wind with their silly little planes. Now they reap the whirlwind.”

Part XIV

Tiger by the Tail

“A man who takes a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.”

― Mark Twain

Chapter 40

Sea of Okhotsk, 20 May ~ 12:38

Now they reap the whirlwind, thought Fedorov. He had seen this all before, just after they manifested in this very year in the Pacific, when the Japanese raid on Darwin had first looked down to see a lone Allied cruiser running out to sea. Down they came, thinking to quickly dispatch the ship and get on with their mission. For Kirov, it was a sudden and unexpected shock, and they were fortunate that Karpov was on the bridge at that time, knowing exactly what defensive system to activate, and how to use it.

This time they get the surprise, he thought, but he was very wrong. The Japanese knew exactly what they were doing now. The pilots had been briefed, and told they would be looking for the mysterious ship that had been attacking the navy, Mizuchi. They were more than willing to try and find it, and also headstrong enough to think they could take hold of it like a cat by the tail and kill it. Yes, they expected a few scratches, knew that planes and men might be lost in any combat sortie they flew, but this was no ordinary cat.

Kirov was a lethal beast that was entirely beyond their comprehension, a tiger with claws that would soon rend their way through the sky with their slashing anger. They really had no idea what was about to hit them, thought Fedorov, feeling a spasm of guilt. Then he remembered how they came at the ship, engines wailing, the cold whistle of deadly bombs falling, the hiss of the defensive fire and the rattle of the 30mm chain guns on defense—and he remembered the battle bridge. One man had been so driven in a later attack, that he put his plane right into the ship. Had he aimed for the open deck, smashing into the missile armed vertical silos beneath it, the results could have been catastrophic.

“S-300 system ready sir,” said Samsonov.

Grilikov was sitting right next to him, his eyes narrowed as he watched the other man work on a bank of equipment that seemed entirely confounding. One thing caught his eye, the winking red lights, a bank of eight, and Samsonov had told him they each corresponded to a missile ready for launch. The ship could have carried as many as 96 S-300s at one time, the missile the West called the SA-N-20 Gargoyle. It was an older system by 2021, replaced on most ships with the new S-400F system. In its second coming, this Kirov had a mix of missiles, some old, some new. There were 36 S-300s, as the Navy still had them and wanted to use them for the live fire exercises Kirov was to have conducted in the Norwegian Sea. A second bank carried the ship’s current long range defense system, the S-400F.

Behind those, the ship possessed another formidable inner air defense shield, a missile of many names. It was the Kinzhal, or dagger, a variant of the land based Tor system that the West now called the SA-N-9 Gauntlet. The Russians also called it the Klinok—blade—and it was very sharp indeed. They were stored in clusters of 8, on rotary VLS modules. First introduced in 1989, this was a much improved version of that missile, with updated electronics and a much longer range, out to about 80 kilometers to move it from its roots as a short range missile to medium range defense. There were 128 of those missiles hidden beneath the decks.

The innermost defensive ring was the province of the Kashtan system, a short range missile that fired in conjunction with two 30mm Gatling guns that sat like the heavy black arms of a robot mounted beneath the missile tubes. This deadly combination could produce kill probabilities of over 95%, and it was further assisted by several single 30mm gun mounts elsewhere on the ship.

For anything to get through those three concentric circles of fighting steel would be a very daunting prospect, particularly a slow, easily tracked aircraft like those in the skies now. The 15 contacts to the west were Nakajima Ki-43 Fighter bombers, the Peregrine Falcon to the Japanese, but dubbed by the far less complimentary name of “Oscar” by the Americans. They were each carrying two 250kg bombs, a heavy payload of over 1100 pounds.

“Target speed at 230 knots,” said Rodenko. “These nine contacts to the south are slower, about 175 knots.”

“Most likely G4M medium bombers,” said Fedorov. “That’s a plane the Americans called the Betty, a level bomber, and not much of a threat in terms of accuracy. The others are probably land based fighter bombers. They’ll be the main threat here.”

“If you can call that a threat,” said Karpov.

Fedorov gave him a quick look, as if to remind him of what had happened to them before. They were the only two men on the bridge that remembered that, as Orlov was below decks on his rounds that morning.

“Do we have the battle bridge manned?” he asked.

“Of course,” said Karpov, but that is no more than a formality for Air Alert One.

“Nice to know it’s there,” said Fedorov, again with a knowing glance the Admiral’s way.

Karpov gave him a flat grin. “Mister Samsonov, salvo of four S-300s. Target the group of fifteen planes and begin firing.”

“Aye sir.” Samsonov was only too eager to comply.

Sea of Okhotsk, 20 May ~ 12:44

“Sir,” said Otani. “Sierra One has detected missile fire, bearing west towards Sakhalin. They must be firing at our land based aircraft.”

Takami had been watching and waiting, cruising silently in EMCON about 40 kilometers south of Kurita’s surface action group. They had deployed a single helo, Sierra One, low and slow at first so as not to arouse undue suspicion, and it was loitering at about 2000 feet, a hundred kilometers to the northwest.

“So much for that dangling left jab,” said Fukada. “Those have to be S-300s, or even the newer S-400s. We could warn those planes to disperse. It might give them a ghost of a chance out there.”

“We’d have to blab that in the clear, or relay it through Kurita on the secure comm link. Neither case would matter much. Those missiles are too damn fast. I’m afraid they were too quick to get up there. We’re still too far south to use our missiles, and the naval air strike isn’t even on our screens yet.”

“Trying to coordinate this in EMCON is going to be like herding cats,” said Otani.

“True, but the more we say in the way of any radio traffic, the more chances they have to intercept a signal that gets their attention.”

“Let’s just hope they don’t give our Sea King the same treatment when they finish off those planes,” said Fukada.

“I doubt they’ll target that. They have to think it’s a seaplane, just a lone slow contact to their southwest. It’s no threat unless it comes with in visual range, and even then why would they care? Notice they haven’t thrown anything at Kurita either. But they have a helo up too, and so they know he’s there. Hell, they probably have us on the contact board as well, but as far as they are concerned we’re just another surface ship of this era. So far they’re acting as if they don’t know a thing, which is how we need to keep it until we get inside 120 klicks.”

“Then what?” said Fukada.

“Then we go active and throw everything we have at them.”

“What about Kurita?”

“What about him? You know damn well that Kirov won’t let him get anywhere close enough to use his main guns. As far as I’m concerned, it’s as if those ships weren’t even there. I think the Russians will take down any air threats, but probably make Kurita’s surface action group a second priority target.”

“And if they go after them with those Sunburns?”

“Then we have a choice to make. We have Kurita under our SM-2 umbrella. We could go active, get a fix on their missiles and fire.”

“That gives up the game from that point on.”

“Right,” said Harada. “The other choice is to do nothing, let Kurita take one on the chin and see how much iron he has there. We keep on north, fast and quiet, and get as close as we can to those bastards before we fire.”

“This is going to get ugly,” said Fukada, “and real fast. This ship was built for defense. Our entire loadout is based on that. Yet here we sit, trying to creep up and get inside on these guys with one good right hand. You realize that after we throw that punch, we’re done.”

“So we have to hope we land it,” said Harada. “After that, we could still use the SAMs in an anti-ship role. If nothing else, it might keep them off balance.”

“We should use the rail gun.” Fukada folded his arms, eyeing the Captain. “We should use it the moment they put lead on any of Kurita’s ships. We fire that while our Type-12s are outbound, and before we do that, we have to take down their helicopter. That’s job one.”

“Agreed,” said Harada. “At least on the helo. As soon as we fire anything, the jig is up and we go to full active sensors. Then I’ll put an SM-3 on their helo and take out their eyes. That way they won’t pick up our SSMs until they get much closer. As for the rail gun, I’m not so sure it will do us any good, but we might get lucky.”

“It has them in range right now,” said Fukada.

“Right, but we don’t even have a hard fix on their location with all our sensors passive like this. If we fire it now, we just give them something to chew on if they pick up incoming rounds on their radar.”

“They may see them, but they’re too fast for them to do anything about it. That gun fires at Mach 7!”

“Correct, but that will sure prickle their curiosity. No. The less they know, the better. I want to sit tight until we’re ready to take our shot. After that, anything goes.” He looked at Hideo Honjo now. “Lieutenant, crack your knuckles and warm up those hands. We’ll be busy with the SM-2s as soon as they figure out what’s happening.”

“Ready sir,” said Honjo. “We’ll knock down anything they throw our way.”

It was all cat and mouse at this point, only the question remained—which one was the mouse? Kirov was a very big cat to be sure, with very sharp claws and teeth. Taking that cat by the tail was going to be very dangerous, and Harada knew that Kurita’s two battleships and three heavy cruisers would be nothing more than secondary targets. They could contribute nothing at all to the offense here, which would have to be carried by any aircraft they could shepherd to the target. He looked at his watch, wondering what was holding up the naval air strike. It was a sallow and cold thing to think now, but they needed to put as many targets into the air as possible. Kirov was already going after the land based planes, and he was beginning to have a very bad feeling about this whole setup.

Just let me get close enough to get the first punch in, he thought. In modern naval combat, it was always the struggle to get off the first salvo that mattered. His missiles were much slower than those Sunburns, so he needed to fire first, before he had to go defensive. That would be the best they could do, get that salvo in the air before the Russians figured out what they were up against. All it would take is a single hit, on either side, to decisively shift the balance here. Harada was praying for all he was worth that Takami would be the one to get that first hit.

Sea of Okhotsk, 20 May ~ 12:50

The battleship Hiraga was in the number two position that morning, following in the wake of Kurita’s old ship, the heavy cruiser Mikuma. As one of Japan’s most modern ships, it even had radar installed, the Mark II, Model 1 Shipborne Air and Surface Search Radar, capable of seeing planes out to 90 kilometers, or ships at sea 18 kilometers away. Unfortunately, it was found to be useless that day, a clutter of static under the routine jamming Kirov was putting out on frequencies known to be used by the enemy at this time. Kurita’s ships would have to rely on another system, a highly refined sensor that was directly connected to a fairly complex computer, more complex, in fact, than any computer aboard Kirov that day.

It was installed on every mainmast in the task force, carefully searching the distant horizons in every direction. That system had come to be designated by a most iconic name in modern navy circles—the Mark 1 Eyeball, dual mounted on a swiveling platform called a head, and the complex computer it was connected to was the brain of the watchman inside that head. That was all Kurita had, the watchful eyes on his mainmast, their binoculars, their brains. Everything else was jammed and down, but the trusty Mark 1 Eyeball would see a good deal more than any man expected that day.

They had closed to about 42 kilometers from the estimated position of their adversary, still well over the horizon, and unseen. But the morning sky was soon alive with the hot long contrails of the S-300s, one following another, scoring the mid-day sky. Heads turned, eyes saw, brains reacted and the shouts of alarm soon followed—Rockets!

That was the word Kurita had been waiting to hear, and now he rushed out onto the weather deck off the bridge to put his own Mark 1 Eyeball into operation. There they were, those long ghostly contrails in the sky, but they were not aiming for his ships. Instead they were moving west towards the dark mass of Karafuto, and their speed was amazing.

The planes they were after were well beyond his visual range, but seeing those missiles was enough. “Watchman! Report this sighting to the radio officer. Tell him to transmit it to Takami.”

Kurita shook his head, a disdainful look on his face. Radars were useless. This cruiser was supposed to be scouting for the presence of the enemy here, but instead it was lagging well behind. How could it see anything there? I am told it has better radars than we have, but surely they could see nothing. Now we have the irony that my watchmen are the first to see and report contact with the enemy—out there, somewhere. Let us see if we can find him today. I will be the first to see and fight this Mizuchi.

That was an honor he might want to shirk from if he could have taken the real measure of his enemy. But even so, it would not have stopped him from pressing on to attack. He had good ships here, fast, well armored, the best in the fleet. Rockets or no rockets, he was going to attack.

Some minutes passed, and then the watchmen called out yet another sighting, this time a bright fire high up in the sky, descending rapidly like a falling plane might, but much faster. It plummeted towards the sea, commanding the attention of Mark 1 Eyeball systems throughout the task force, and then, to their great amazement, it suddenly pulled out of that dive, leveled off, and came streaking in towards Hiraga. Kurita watched, spellbound, seeing a naval rocket now aimed for his ship for the very first time.

The words of Admiral Yamamoto whispered at his ear: “…they are fast, lethal, and have a very long range. They can strike your ships from well beyond the range of your battleships’ biggest guns, and well over the horizon—and from what we have seen, these rockets have deadly accuracy—they never miss their targets.”

The alarm was sounding, a harsh claxon of warning. Men were rushing to their battle stations, soon manning their twin 25mm AA guns. Even if the men could ready those guns, swivel them toward the threat, sight and fire, the rounds would be traveling at 1126 feet per second, about the speed of sound. The Sunburns were moving at twice that speed on their low terminal approach, and the gunners wouldn’t get a single round anywhere near that missile before it thundered home.

The explosion rocked the ship, and though the side armor held, the fragmentation, shock and fire, were going to take out the secondary 127mm gun battery nearest to that hit, about 150 feet aft of the main conning tower and bridge. Kurita felt the sibilant rush of hot shrapnel rush past his ear, and he had come within half a foot of being killed at that moment. Hiraga rocked, then righted herself, the ship now wreathed in heavy smoke. A hot fire was burning.

Now images of all he had seen aboard Mutsu returned to haunt him…. “You will see them easily enough,” the officer there had said to him. “They claw the sky like Raiju, more terrible than the sky demon Itsumade. Yes, you will see them when they come, but there will be nothing you can do to stop them. Look how the fires consumed our ship!”

“Did you fire back at them?”

The man smiled. “There was nothing to shoot at. We never saw the enemy ship—only these terrible rockets.”

“Then they are cowards if they refuse to face you in battle.”

“That may be,” the officer had told him, “but here sits Mutsu, a burned wreck, and the enemy still commands the northern sea.”

“We shall see about that.”

Kurita remembered how he put on an outward face of bravado, but now the smell of the charred metal on old Mutsu that had haunted him after that visit was the smell of the burning flesh of his own ship—a horrid, gasoline smell, as if an entire bunker of aviation fuel was burning, burning….

Chapter 41

“That was just a warning shot,” said Karpov. “Strong advice that if they persist on this course they will get more of the same.”

The four S-300s Samsonov had fired each caught a Shotai of enemy fighters, shattering those three plane formations and taking down seven of the 15 planes. Three more persisted, and he allowed them to come within range of the Kinzhal /Klinok system, putting a missile on each one to end the threat. The other five were wandering aimlessly off bearing, and it was deemed that they would pose no real threat. They eventually made it back to their base, with a tall tale to tell of fast moving dragons that devoured planes.

As for the nine Betty Bombers, two S-300s were used to break up that formation, downing three with their heavy fragmentation burst, and damaging three others. They had not heeded the advice to fly a dispersed approach pattern, their training to maintain a close formation becoming their undoing. The expenditure of six S-300s and three medium range Klinoks had therefore parried the dangling jab, and Takami was not yet ready to attempt a missile strike. Still unaware of the true nature of the enemy they were facing, Karpov then had Samsonov deliver a sharp punch to Hiraga, a warning shot as he called it, with fire and steel.

“That won’t stop them,” said Fedorov.

“Perhaps not, but it will certainly get their attention. I will not tolerate any interference from the Japanese Navy.” Karpov raised a finger as he spoke.

“Then you may have to deliver a much harder punch.”

“Easily done. At the moment, however, those ships do not appear to have the speed to close the range if I come about. Unfortunately, I have no desire to come about until this matter is concluded. We will hold this course, and deal with them if they persist. That’s the only way to assure they pose no threat to my transports further north. And just in case they have more land based aircraft forming up, I want the second KA-40 airborne and heading west towards Sakhalin immediately.”

“Aye sir, I’ll send down the order.”

Sea of Okhotsk, 20 May ~ 13:15

“Kurita just took a hard blow,” said Otani. “Missile impact on lead formation ship.”

“We might have stopped that missile,” said Fukada.

“Yes,” said Harada, “but the next one would be headed our way, and we aren’t in position to fire.”

That was the real problem Harada faced. The U.S. Navy in the early 21st century was built like a very intricate puzzle. Each ship was a piece of that puzzle, and to see the real picture of the power it could project, one had to look at the task forces and battle groups that made up that segment. No single ship had ever been designed to operate alone, except perhaps the stealthy submarines carrying ICBMs. A typical US battlegroup would be centered on a single aircraft carrier, which was then accompanied by one or two AEGIS cruisers and three to five destroyers, with one or more attack subs patrolling as well.

DDG-180 was just one small piece of that puzzle, a ship that had been designed to operate with other vessels, and one that sang in the chorus of their combined voices at sea. Takami should have been at sea with at least one more AEGIS capable destroyer, several DE class destroyer escorts, and one of Japan’s DDH class helicopter destroyers, quietly being adapted to perform a strike role with the addition of the F-35 Lightning. The ship was never designed to make a solo performance.

In the modern American Navy, the carrier aircraft trumped the longer range of Russia’s excellent SSMs, able to strike with a wide array of air delivered weapons from its planes. The best way to defeat those powerful Russian missiles was to see that they were never even launched by first destroying the ship that carried them. Here, in 1942, the air arm of Japan’s offensive capability was orders of magnitude weaker. Kirov had just casually brushed aside the first wave of land based planes, and it would take considerably more aircraft to pose any real threat.

By herself, Takami had very limited offensive capability in those eight Type 12 SSMs, and to use them, the ship had to close inside 120 kilometers, which was well within the range of all the SSMs Kirov could deploy. To make matters worse, the Russian missiles were much faster. If Kirov got off the first salvo, Takami would have no choice but to go defensive, for even one hit would be fatal and doom the ship. Harada knew this, which is why he was hastening north now to get into missile range with some trepidation. He was going to rely on the cover and distraction provided by planes off Kaga and Tosa, and that alone was a dear coin to spend. Those planes would be flown by some of Japan’s best pilots, a commodity that was precious and slow to ever be replaced. But where were they?

“This whole attack is mistimed,” said Fukada. “We should have brought in the naval strike planes first.”

“They were ordered to get airborne an hour ago, and we’ve finally got them on our screens to the west,” said Harada. “How long before they get here?”

“Sir,” said Otani. “Given their present cruising speed, I make it about 20 minutes before they have a visual on our position if they keep to the flight plan we sent them.”

“Mister Ikida,” Harada said to his navigator. “How close are we going to be in twenty minutes?”

“About 140 kilometers out sir.”

“So we send those planes north and carry on. Let me know the instant we have the range on that bastard.”

“Aye sir.”

Taraika Bay, 20 kilometers south of Port Shikuka

20 May, 13:30

Kaga was the first of the two carriers to form up its strike squadrons and head east. Lieutenant Commander Kakuichi Hashiguchi was chief Air Officer and Strike leader for this mission, and he had been very pleased with the new forward deck extension for the ship. Now his planes were well on their way, leaving the carriers behind where they cruised in the relatively safe waters of the Tatar Strait. They had crossed the long land mass of Sakhalin and were now over Taraika Bay, thinking to find the guide ship there as promised.

Though Harada had signaled Kurita that he was moving out of that bay into his wake, he just assumed he would have passed this information on to Admiral Kakuta commanding Carrier Division 2, but the word had not been passed. So when Hashiguchi’s 15 B5Ns reached the bay, they saw nothing but clear open waters there. Patches of low clouds grazed over the sea, with light rain falling from their flanks. He searched for some minutes, then heaved a sigh and made a decision. They were to have turned northeast at this point, but the ship they were to pivot on was not there. So he turned northeast anyway, chattering on his short range radio to inform the other squadron commanders. Lieutenant Ogawa and Ibuki followed with their D3A dive bombers, and so common sense corrected for the error and kept the planes headed in the right direction. Behind them came another 30 planes off the Tosa, all D3As, a total of 60 aircraft in this first wave.

They soon crossed the narrow isthmus that framed out the eastern edge of the bay, and then they were over the Sea of Okhotsk. Lieutenant Otani had them on radar, informing Harada that they were off their assigned heading but still in the game. The Captain scratched his head, not wanting to send more encrypted HF traffic to Kurita and hope it might eventually reach those planes. So instead he took a low tech approach, ordering Hiroko Shiota at communications to find and use the standard radio frequency the Japanese should be on, and use Kana Code Morse to signal those planes.

It worked.

Otani was soon pleased to report they had turned fifteen points and assumed the proper heading, and with no suspicious signals emissions that might draw any undue interest from Kirov. So far the plan was still on track, in spite of the fact that the land based planes had moved to engage too early, failed to properly disperse, and paid the price for that.

His Sea King, Sierra One, was well to the northwest keeping an eye on Kirov by using passive sensors only. The second Sea King, Sierra Two, had also been launched and moved northeast of the enemy’s presumed position. In this way, Harada hoped to bracket and frame the contact with overlapping radars when he went active, nailing down its position quickly and then getting his missiles in the air as soon as possible. His hope was that Kirov would perceive no threat from those two airborne contacts, and he was correct.

Sea of Okhotsk, 20 May ~ 13:45

“This contact here,” said Karpov. “It appears to be loitering.”

“A seaplane off that command ship. I tracked it heading north, and its hugging the coast, moving in and out of the coastal ranges.”

“It’s not a threat now,” said Karpov, “but I don’t want it heading up that coast line to observe our amphibious operations. If it gets 100 klicks north of our position, I want to know immediately.”

“Aye sir.”

It was then that feeds from the KA-40 began to light up Rodenko’s screen. “More contacts sir, bearing 225 southwest, speed 180 knots. I’m reading it as a contact cluster at the moment, but experience tells me this is probably a full squadron of 12 to 15 planes. And there’s another cluster sir, right behind the first.”

“They must be coming from airfields near Poronaysk,” said Karpov, referring to the main port on the bay that the Japanese now called Shikuka. It was as good a guess as any, for the KA-40 could not see beyond Sakhalin island into the Tatar Strait, and so the presence of the 2nd Carrier Division remained unknown to them.

“Well they persist with this nonsense, and they’ll pay the same price the others did for that. Mister Samsonov, ready on the S-300 system. Salvo of eight missiles, two groups of four. Target the lead group Rodenko feeds you, and fire at 200 kilometers.”

Kurita Group, Sea of Okhotsk, 20 May ~ 13:55

The timing of that little show was going to give Admiral Kurita a front row seat. Hashiguchi’s planes would be approaching his surface group from the south, using it as their second navigation aid. He had spent the last half hour receiving reports on the damage inflicted by that missile, and was pleased to see that the fires were finally being controlled. Yet his shiny new battleship had just endured the first scars of war. The secondary battery he thought was lost soon reported that it could still function, and new crews were assigned. That didn’t matter, as the ship would never get close enough to Mizuchi to fire its guns, but Kurita did not know that. The war would be fought well over his horizon now, and it was the province of planes and rockets….

And there they were, high in the sky again, arcing up and moving like sky demons, so terribly fast. His pulse leapt to think that his ship would soon come under attack again, but these rockets stayed high up, none diving to the water’s edge as before. He craned his neck, watching them pass overhead, and continue on south, where he could just make out the scattered formations of planes. That had to be Admiral Kakuta’s carrier planes. Surely those rockets could never find and kill such nimble aircraft.

What he saw next was most disturbing, the sky suddenly blossoming with bright orange fireballs as the rockets swerved and fell on the planes. He saw two burning as they fell to the sea, and others swirling as if they thought to dog fight the rocket demons, but to no avail. One by one the rockets exploded, and more planes fell, nine in all, with three others turning away, most likely with damage that was forcing them to abort.

That would be the fate of Admiral Kakuta’s planes that day, veteran pilots all. The long reach of the S-300s was going to find them well south of Kirov’s position, giving Harada fits as he raced to get into firing position while that action was still underway. The first eight S-300s had ruined Hashiguchi’s 15 torpedo planes. Another four behind them tore into the D3As, which were now scattering in all directions as per their orders should they encounter enemy rocket fire. That reaction was going to raise the stakes for Karpov, forcing him to push more valuable missile chips out onto the table of war if he wanted to take those planes down at range.

DDG-180, Takami, Sea of Okhotsk, 20 May ~ 14:10

“Sir,” said the Navigator, “we should have range on them now. I make our position at 110 klicks from presumed enemy position. If we go active, I can nail that down to the meter for you.”

There it was, the moment of truth for Harada and Takami. He had eight archers with a single arrow each, and if he fired them now there wasn’t anything but the rail gun behind them at this range. He doubted he would get inside the range of his deck gun, and discarded that weapon in any case. The carrier based planes were already being engaged. It was now or never. He looked to Fukada, and Hideo Honjo a the CIC, and decided.

“This is it, gentlemen. Time to hit the dance floor. Lieutenant Otani, the ship will cease Silent Alpha and secure from EMCON. All radars will go active immediately. Lieutenant Shiota, signal both Sea Kings and order the same. Then advise Admiral Kurita that it might be best if he withdraws.”

Fukada was quick to repeat those orders, and soon the considerable power of the ship’s active radar was coming on line. The Sea Kings would go active as well, and feed their telemetry to Takami. In a matter of minutes their overlapping coverage would serve to pinpoint the location of Kirov. It was then that Harada played his ace, hoping it was good enough to take the hand.

“Mister Honjo, let’s throw some lightning—full salvo—all eight missiles.”

Claxons sounded, the missile warning hounding the nerves of the officers and crew, as it was designed to do. You never saw the enemy you were firing at, only the milky green phosphor of their presence as seen by electronic eyes. Yet you could see them in your mind’s eye, sitting before their technology, just as you were, watching, thinking, waiting.

The Vals and Kates off Kaga and Tosa were out there taking the heat from Kirov’s S-300s, but now eight fast arrows would lance out at the unseen enemy, and with them the fate of the campaign in the North Pacific would likely be written into this torn and shattered history that never should have been.

Chapter 42

Sea of Okhotsk, 20 May ~ 14:18

Rodenko was the first to feel the edge of the sensor shock wave when it lit up his board. He stared at the red light, blinked, his Mark 1 Eyeball seeing, yet not believing for that brief instant. Then he inclined his head, reached for a diagnostic switch, and nudged the system briefly to see that all was well. The judgment was in a few seconds later, and so he decided to report the mystery to command.

“Con… Very odd sir. I’m receiving a signal from the KA-226 indicating their Oko radar panel is being jammed.” That was the first indication that something was amiss. Takami’s ECM systems were singing over the frequencies identified as active for the Oko Panel, and it had called home to report the offense.

“Jammed? Not possible,” said Karpov, giving Fedorov a sideward glance. “How could they possibly have anything that could bother our systems?”

That was a short lived assertion, no matter how true it might have been at one time. After Krakatoa, the Japanese suddenly had plenty to bother a ship like Kirov, and now, to Rodenko’s amazement, systems and electronic reflexes that had been idle for months suddenly perked up and began reporting an alarming train of information. Light after light began winking out new signals data, and the internal profiler was analyzing and reporting.

“What in God’s name? Sir, I have emissions profiles on I/J band frequencies… Analyzing…. This is impossible. It’s reading AN/SPG-62! And look here sir, we’re getting S Band emissions and the system is profiling that traffic as AN/SPY-1D, and I have three other signatures.”

“What are you saying?”

“This is crazy, sir, but That’s the emission profile for an Aegis class destroyer or cruiser. We’re being painted by long range target illumination radar!”

“An AEGIS destroyer? Nonsense. Here? Now?” Karpov looked at Fedorov. “Could we have shifted?” That was the first thing that came to his mind as his own internal systems sought to analyze and profile this impossible emissions traffic report. Clearly none of those emissions could be happening here in 1942, but the ship had a long history of pulsing—moving in time, and sometimes with little fanfare or sign that they had even shifted.

Fedorov looked around them, his eyes scanning the horizon, eyes narrowed, thinking. “Do we still have the helos?”

“Aye sir,” said Rodenko. “The 226 is still being jammed, but the KA-40 we just launched is clear, and I have a good telemetry link. That has to be the feed on these signals emissions, and I’m making the contact right here, just south of that surface action group we hit.”

“The goddamned command ship,” said Karpov. “But it’s clearly something much more. Fedorov? Sun and moon still where they should be? Anything amiss?”

“Not that I can see,” said Fedorov. “We’ve still got a line out to both our helos, and that surface action group is still hot and strong on the board. So my guess is that we haven’t shifted.”

“Rodenko,” said Karpov. “Could our system be malfunctioning, reporting false positives?”

“I’ve run diagnostics. With one errant signal, I might take a second look, but I’m now picking up five separate radar systems, and the KA-40 is pretty sure what it has by the tail out there. Look here, sir.” He read aloud now from his board data logger: “Bear 6 has been classified as DDG 180, Improved Atago Class. Admiral sir, this is an AEGIS equipped destroyer, JS-Takami, and the contact is hostile. Range, 80 nautical miles; bearing 180 true.”

That was all it was going to take for Karpov. Mystery or no mystery, he was all business now. The impossible could wait for further analysis in the after action report. Something was out there, jamming a modern day Oko class radar set on the KA-40 and writing its name all over the microwave frequency spectrum. If this was a system error, he could call himself stupid later. Now was the time to act. If it was an error, all he would lose were the missiles he fired now. Every instinct in his body tensed up and told him he should barrage that target with no less than ten missiles, and make them hot. The one strident protest within him that refused to believe this could be happening gave him brief pause, and he lowered the missile count.

“Rodenko! Activate all offensive and defensive ECM systems at once—Bell Bash, Bell Nip, Bell Thump, Wine Glass—light them up! Samsonov. Put the S-300 system on full automatic, weapons free on any missile contact reported. Then put four Moskit-IIs on that contact immediately!”

“Aye sir. Four missiles ready and targeting Bear 6 now.”

“Fire!”

Kurita Group, Sea of Okhotsk, 20 May ~14:20

Takami had put all eight Type-12 missiles in the air, but traveling at just under the speed of sound, they would only get half way to their targets before Karpov’s anger found its way south on the hot tail fire of those four Moskit-IIs. Out on the weather deck of Hiraga, Admiral Kurita had been watching the dizzy display of fireworks high up as Kirov’s S-300s had leapt upon the incoming air strike. Now the watchman called out another sighting, and he looked to see more rocket trails, this time coming from the south! How could this be possible? Were there two enemy ships, another behind him? Then he realized that these must be weapons fired from Takami, and that thought lifted his spirits.

He recalled his briefing with Admiral Yamamoto. “Scout well,” the Admiral had told him, “and to aid that effort, I am attaching a very special ship to your task force, the cruiser Takami… a very secret ship, something entirely new. Do not think that the Siberians and Russians are the only ones who have developed this new rocket technology… it was designed as a fleet defense ship. Most of its rockets are meant to be used against enemy aircraft, or against the rocket weapons this Mizuchi flings at your ships.”

Better late than never, thought Kurita. Those rockets must be trying to catch and kill the enemy rockets, but from what I can see, they move much too slow, and they are too low on the sea.

He watched them move in a stately trail one following another, eight in all, their tails bright with fire as they passed his ships and continued north. Then like a train coming in the opposite direction, he saw more missiles from the north, one, two, four in all. The two groups passed very near one another, yet had no argument.

They continued on about their deadly business, passing one another, with bigger fish to fry. It was then that Kurita realized these must be after exactly that—bigger fish. His own ship had already been targeted. Now Takami had fired eight rockets at the enemy, and four enemy arrows were moving swiftly away to the south, undoubtedly aimed at this secret new cruiser Yamamoto had told him about. These ships are fighting one another! Mizuchi hurls its fire at Takami this time, and it is terribly fast, much faster than our rockets. Yet how can they even see one another? My horizon is completely empty in all directions, except for those rockets. There is nothing on the sea at all. Is Takami simply firing blind? Surely it can have no idea where the enemy is now.

DDG-180, Takami, Sea of Okhotsk, 20 May ~14:24

“Vampire! Vampire!” yelled Otani. “Multiple contacts inbound—I read four missiles. Range, 20 nautical miles and closing fast.”

“Hello,” said Harada. “Well, the interval of surprise is over, gentlemen. They obviously know enough now to get serious. Stand up the SM-2 system and engage those contacts. Set all laser and Phalanx systems to full automatic, weapons free.”

Only four, he thought. I’d have doubled down on that salvo. But they have more in the cupboard than we do, and will likely fire again soon. For now, we had better just hope we can stop those four vampires.

“Lieutenant Otani, what are we firing at?”

“SA-N-22B sir—Sunburns. We should be seeing them any minute now.”

Twenty nautical miles, thought Harada. That is too damn close. Now he waited, the tension mounting second by second as his forward deck was awash with defensive missile fire. The SM-2s would go out one by one, with two assigned to each target, and AEGIS carefully watching the results to retarget any missile to a new Vampire if needed. He saw something bright flash like lightning to the north, and realized the Laser system had already taken a shot. This was just too damn close for comfort.

“Call the tune, Lieutenant.”

“Sir, yes sir!” Otani’s voice carried the emotion of the moment, the adrenaline carefully controlled, the effect of all those many hours training at her station in drill after drill. This time the weapons were free, hot, and this was no drill.

“Laser Reports a Miss—recharging. SM-2 has locked on lead target and detonated. Splash Vampire 1! Wingmate is redirecting to new target… attempting to lock on… No good, sir. Wingmate has missed, but missile three has the target and is tracking true. Hit! Splash Vampire 2.”

They had fired eight SM-2s in defense, but they were not all needed. They had two misses, and four kills in the first six off the deck. The last two ran blind, saw nothing more to argue with, and self-destructed as programmed.

Battlecruiser Kirov, Sea of Okhotsk, 20 May ~ 14:30

“They just took down all four of our SSMs,” said Samsonov with a sheepish look on his face. “I have no telemetry on any missile.”

That removed all uncertainty from Karpov’s mind. Whatever doubt that remained was crushed. All the puzzle pieces fit to paint a nice clear picture.

We got strange signals intelligence from Nikolin on HF transmission bands that could not be read. Something was capable of jamming our Oko Panels on the helos, and Rodenko’s contact profile tells me exactly what it is—a ship also capable of shooting down a Moskit-II moving at well over Mach 2 on terminal approach. There was a modern day AEGIS class destroyer out there, and I have no doubt that we are now under attack.

There’s no time to wonder how it could have happened, he thought. Perhaps it was just as Fedorov suggested when he gave me that quiet little warning. So if they are out there, and this is still 1942, then we had better get serious. If that ship went to active sensors, it was because he wanted to fix our position to fire. In fact, he probably fired some time ago, well before I let those Moskit-IIs go.

“Mister Samsonov,” he said, his voice leaden, and deadly serious. “What is that ship carrying in the way of offensive missiles?”

“Sir, if it is standard loadout, it would have either eight Type-90 SSMs, or perhaps the newer Type-12.”

“Weapon characteristics…”

“Sir, the Type 90 is a high subsonic cruise missile with low angle approach—a sea skimmer, sir. Range 150 kilometers, with a 225kg high explosive warhead. The Type 12 is similar, but with extended range. Both use inertial guidance systems and deploy active radar on terminal approach.”

“Very well, please tell our S-300 system we’ll be expecting bad company any minute now.”

No sooner had Karpov said that when Rodenko’s board sounded the alert. “Missile warning! I’m now reading eight contacts inbound at 20 nautical miles. Top Plate, Top Pair and Round House TACAN confirm. Range now 17 nautical miles and closing.”

“Sir, S-300s firing now!” Samsonov would not have been quick enough to toggle and tap out orders for sixteen S-300s to get out after those missiles. The system on full automatic was far faster, and it was already doing its job. Hatches opened on the forward deck, and the long deadly missiles were up and on their way, one after another. On Rodenko’s radar they fed out from the ship like a long string of pearls, but this time the targets would not be so easy to hit. Kirov’s SAMs had been the terror of aircraft in this era, finding them without fail, their radar cross signatures simply too huge to miss, their speed so feeble that tracking and killing them was almost a certainty. This time, however, the targets were coming in very low, and relatively fast, with much smaller radar profiles, and all in an environment that was now suddenly alive with the harassment of ECM systems on both sides.

The first two S-300s were going to miss, but the third scored a hit, taking down the lead SSM. The odds of a hit were about 80% against a modern day SSM like this, and now they were further reduced by the sleek target profile, its inherent stealth, and the environment in which the engagement was taking place. The once infallible killer was now a hit and miss defensive system, but then it knew that, and its computers had been programmed to dish out ordnance required to saturate the barrage with defensive missiles. S-300s continued to answer its call.

The fourth missile scored the second hit, and its three underdeck cell mates took out one more. The first eight missiles had scored three hits the first time through the lineup, a good day for a baseball team, but not for a ship when 225kg warheads were being thrown at your head. You had to get each and every one of those missiles, without fail, and so the system opened yet more cell hatches on that long forward deck, and let the S-300s fly. Twenty missiles would go out in this defensive volley, two each assigned to the two contacts Rodenko now could ID as helicopters, their radar signatures giving them away in the clutter of other incoming Japanese planes. The other sixteen missiles would all go after those incoming SSMs.

It was going to be very close. They took down three more, and the last two were now penetrating inside close defense circles. It was coming down to the last two missiles against two defensive SAMs, and those odds were not good.

Karpov had been watching the whole engagement play out on Rodenko’s screen. “Get them,” he said, his teeth clenching. “Get the damn bastards.” He was slowly raising his hand, preparing to order Samsonov to switch to the Klinok system, where he had enough missiles to make those two intruders look like a porcupine when he was done with them. It would not be necessary.

Missiles 18 and 19 ran true, and each would log a kill that day. By the time they did, the sky south of the ship was a broil of contrails and explosive red orange roses as each S-300 detonated, either on an enemy missile, or by committing seppuku for the dishonor and shame of having missed its assigned target. The booming reports were heard far to the south by Kurita where he watched on the weather deck of Hiraga. He was much closer to the action, but remained in doubt as to the outcome of the battle. Aboard Takami, however, they knew in with that last explosion that they had risked everything, and failed. They had stalked the tiger, achieved surprise, taken Kirov by the tail, but now they were about to learn something they could learn in no other way.

Takami’s SSM bays were empty.

Kirov’s were still full.

Part XV

Achilles & Hector

“No man will hurl me down to Death, against my fate.

And fate? No one alive has ever escaped it,

neither brave man nor coward, I tell you—

it’s born with us the day that we are born.”

― The Iliad: Book 6, Hector

Chapter 43

Battlecruiser Kirov, Sea of Okhotsk, 20 May ~ 14:36

“How many S-300s remain?” asked Karpov coolly.

“Sir,” said Samsonov, “I have three missiles in cell number eight. They will be the last for this ordnance.”

“What?” Karpov looked over at him, surprised. “Only three?”

“Sir, we have expended a total of 29 S-300s in all actions to date. Three remain, but we still have the S-400 cells completely full, with another 32 missiles.”

“S-400s?” Karpov looked at Fedorov now, lowering his voice. “What is this, Fedorov? The ship sailed with 64 S-300s. We only got the S-400s after we returned to Vladivostok.”

Fedorov had a concerned look on his face. “It seems something has changed,” he said sullenly.

“Changed? How very interesting. A nice little windfall, as the S-400 is a much better missile. In fact, we only took out the old S-300s the first time because the Navy was trying to get rid of that inventory. Our live fire exercises seemed a good way to use them. Well, I’ve certainly put them to better use here.”

He stopped, seeing that look on Fedorov’s face that he had come to know only too well. The two men were off by the Plexiglas situation board, where the positions of all the contacts were displayed in green and red symbols, updated in real time from information fed by the radar sets and processed by Kirov’s SA computer module. Situational Awareness was always the first order of business. You could not fight an enemy unless you first knew where he was, what he was, and by extension, what he was capable of.

The news that he now had 32 of the much more efficient S-400 missiles under deck was encouraging, but Fedorov had that look that spelled trouble. “What is wrong,” said Karpov. “You look like someone just told you your grandma died.”

“Something has changed,” said Fedorov, keeping his voice low. “You are correct sir, the first ship arrived here with 64 S-300s, but apparently not this time—not in the second coming. Neither of us ever stopped to check on something like that. Everything on the ship seems as it was. In fact, You and Samsonov even discussed the missile inventory earlier, the S-300s. You told him you were pleased when he reported inventory on hand after each missile expended.”

“Yes… I recall that now.” Karpov turned. “Mister Samsonov, do you recall our earlier conversation regarding the S-300 Missile inventory?”

“Yes sir.”

“Didn’t you report the inventory at 61 missiles after those first expenditures?”

“Sir? I was reporting on the S-Class missile system as a whole, which can hold many different missile types, the S-300 base model, S-300F, S-300 FM, S-300-PMU-3C—which was redesignated the S-400.”

“Of course,” said Karpov. “As you were. Mister Rodenko, any further threats?”

“None sir. Nothing on my screens, though I’m getting some long range clutter from the southwest now. It looks like formations of aircraft.”

“Range?”

“140 nautical miles.”

“Time for that in a moment,” said Karpov, thinking. He gave Fedorov another glance. “Still worried about something?”

“Well,” said Fedorov. “That should not be the case—those S-400s. Something has clearly changed with this second coming, and that means that we caused it to change.”

“We caused it?”

“Who else? It had to be a consequence of our actions prior to July 28th of 1941, and that is a very disturbing thought.”

“Mister Fedorov, Russia is fragmented into three states, the Germans took Moscow, Gibraltar, Malta, and they are landing on the Canary Islands. You are worried about a variation concerning these 32 missiles?”

“Yes, sir. Those other things are certainly much more significant, but they are here, now, in this timeframe. That is a wave of consequence that is still underway and moving forward very slowly—in real time, if you will. But for a change to have migrated all the way forward to 2021 when this ship departed Vladivostok—that is something I find very alarming.”

“But it is only a few missiles.”

“At the moment.” He gave Karpov those dark, warning eyes. “Drop a stone in a pool of water, and the ripples migrate out. In the beginning the frequency is very tight, but as they progress, the wavelengths increase, and the intensity grows less over time, like a tsunami that sees its energy dissipate over great distances. I suppose I always expected that these changes would have to migrate forward, but I thought that the real consequences could be held here—until these events have run their course.”

“You’re saying that these events are already changing the future—and you did not expect this to happen now?”

“Not yet. Sir… As we approached Paradox Hour—July 28th, last year, things began to happen on the ship—some very strange things, as I have told you. I’ve given that a good deal of thought, and I think those events may be linked to changes that migrated forward in time. Men started to go missing, and now I think it was because something in the long chain of causality was broken—their life line annulled, and time could no longer justify their continued existence. Understand sir? When we change this present, we will also change the future—all the days between this moment and this ship’s point of departure in 2021. Those men may have vanished because they never even existed—just like the names on that list Volkov squeezed out of Zolkin, the men we lost in combat on the first ship. When we returned to Vladivostok, it was as if they never existed.”

“And you are thinking that if something like our missile inventory has changed….”

Fedorov nodded. “Let me put it to you this way… Suppose we change something here that has a catastrophic effect on the line of causality, so much so that time cannot account for our presence here any longer. Don’t you understand sir? The very fact that this ship was even built rests on a big stack of plates—WWII, its outcome, the post war alignments, the cold war. Suppose they never build this ship. Yes, we could do something here that would lead to that, and apparently the consequences of our actions here are already starting to reach 2021, small ripples at first, small changes, but there could be a tsunami out there, moving inexorably forward in time, and every missile we fire increases that energy. Look what we’re doing here at this very moment—dueling with an Aegis class destroyer in 1942!”

Karpov blinked, thinking. Then Rodenko reported again, and the Admiral inclined his head, listening, though his eyes were still locked on Fedorov.

“Sir, missile launch detected by MR-800 Flag radar system at 188 degrees, 60 nautical miles. They’re firing at our KA-40. It’s an SM-2.”

Now Karpov turned. “Not very sporting of them. Signal that helo to drop elevation at once, get them right down on the deck. Do we still have a fix with our other helo?”

“It’s being jammed, but I still have good confidence on the contact location.”

“Then it’s time we settled this. Mister Samsonov, Moskit II system. Set attack profile to extreme low altitude with evasion on final approach. Eight missiles please. Target the contact and fire when ready. Rodenko. How’s our KA-40?”

“Descending… Descending… They’re using ECM now sir… I think they’ve spoofed that missile.”

“Good. If they survive, have them climb again and reacquire the contact to help our missiles along. Now let’s see how they like our Sunburns.”

DDG-180, JS-Takami, Sea of Okhotsk, 20 May ~14:40

“I’ve reacquired the KA-40,” said Otani. “They dropped elevation and hit our last missile with ECM.”

“Put one more on the damn thing,” said Harada. “Let’s keep them dancing.”

“Incoming!” said Otani. “J/OPS-28C has a missile at 20 nautical miles. SPY confirms, multiple contacts inbound.”

“Mister Honjo, weapons free. Knock them down.”

“Salvo of eight missiles this time—Sunburns.” Otani tagged the threat, and everyone on the bridge tensed up. They weren’t seeing these missiles until they broke the horizon at about 20 miles, which meant the Russians were also doing a number on their Sea King’s radar. Admiral Kurita had them in his binoculars at about the same time as they streaked past his position, one after another, a long train of potential destruction.

“That will make twelve in all,” said Fukada. “With what they threw at other targets earlier, this looks like they’re pushing all their chips out on one last number.”

He was wrong in that, for he was still assuming Kirov would have only 20 SSMs aboard, when in fact it left Severomorsk with three times that number. In they came, and only Otani could see it playing out in real time. It was coming down to seconds now, not minutes. Soon the watch called out they had tail fire on the Mark 1 Eyeball. Then Harada gave an order that no one expected.

“Signal the Kurita group. Tell them that unless they hear from us in five minutes, we strongly advise they withdraw.”

Then the deck erupted with fire and the SM-2s leapt up, heading for their targets. “Vampires at 10 nautical miles,” said Otani. “Splash Vampire 1!”

They were firing the SM-2s in pairs again, assigning a lead missile and a wingmate to every Vampire. The theory was that a ship would always carry more SAMs than the number of SSMs the enemy might be packing.

In they came, and the sky suddenly lit up with more explosions, and every single one saw the crew breathing just a little easier. They got five more missiles, one after another, with Otani calling out each kill. It was now down to the final two Vampires and there were still six SN-2s in the air out after them. Harada had been looking over Otani’s shoulder, not realizing that his right hand had tightened to a fist and his nails were biting into the flesh of his palm. He took a deep breath, opening his hand. It was looking good. Then they heard the laser firing at just inside the seven mile range.

“Laser hit! Splash Vampire 7.”

The pair of SM-2s double teamed the last missile, and they took it down at the six mile range marker, the brilliant red-orange explosion vibrating the ship with the shock wave. The last four SM-2s ran blind and slit their throats about twelve miles out.

Battlecruiser Kirov, Sea of Okhotsk, 20 May ~14:45

“Missile eight is gone,” said Samsonov. “Nothing got through, sir. They threw sixteen SM-2s at them.”

Karpov was not happy. “So now we see just how good the American tech is. Twelve fucking Moskit IIs, and not one gets through.” He stroked his chin, thinking.

“SSM inventory,” he said with a growl.

“Sir, we have 24 missiles on the Moskit II system, 10 MOS-III, and 6 on the P-900 system—40 missiles in all.”

Karpov looked at Fedorov now. “Nice of Mother Time to leave the MOS-IIIs alone, eh Fedorov? At least nothing has changed on that count. They are quite a bit faster to the target. Let’s see if they can catch lightning. Mister Samsonov, one MOS-III—just one please.”

“Ready sir.”

Karpov looked over. “Mister Grilikov, why don’t you do the honors and fire this missile.”

Grilikov had been watching, somewhat dumbfounded at Samsonov’s side. Now he blinked, looking at his teacher, who quietly moved his thumb to point to the correct switch, then he winked.

Grilikov fired.

The MOS III was a descendant of the P-800 Onyx missile and the work that was done on the Brahmos/Yakhont system for foreign export. The Russians were looking to compress the response time for the defender even more, and in the balance of stealth vs speed, they usually opted for speed. What they wanted was a hypersonic missile, and the first SSM to fill that bill was the Zircon 3M-22, and the 3M stood for MOS-III. That original design was first introduced in 2017, and was capable of speeds up to Mach 5, but the missile Kirov was carrying was an upgrade, the 3M-33, still called MOS-III by the rank and file.

It could run at Mach 7, faster than the hypersonic rounds of a rail gun, and now Karpov wanted to see if this enemy ship could defeat it. Counting time for acceleration, it was going to eat up about 2.4 kilometers per second. One missile went out, and closed the 62 nautical miles between the two ships in just 47 seconds. It was also stealthy, a sea skimmer, and it was not seen by Takami until it had penetrated the 20 nautical mile threshold.

“Fast missile inbound!” shouted Otani. “My God, it’s running over Mach 7!”

That was fast, but there was one thing faster. The lightning reflexes of the modern day AEGIS system acquired the contact at 17.6 nautical miles. The fire order pulsed to the missile deck. And two SM-2s went out to challenge the intruder. Before they had even acquired their target, the MOS-III was just 10 miles out…. Six miles… The SM-2s had just tipped over and began accelerating towards the Vampire, but it was too fast, too damn fast… But one thing was faster.

It was Takami’s laser system pulsing out at the speed of light. Five miles out, the missile was struck. Its inertial guidance system was fried, a split second later it was blind, with further damage to its steering that sent it careening wildly off course, destroyed inside the four mile mark when it struck the sea, and then exploded. The two SM-2s streaked right over that spot in the sea, late to the party. They continued on for another 10 seconds, trying to decide what happened before they found no threats and self-destructed.

It was as close a shave as one could get, but Takami survived.

Karpov watched the whole engagement on radar, pointing to the missile tracks Rodenko had on the defensive fire. “Those are the two missiles they fired? No others?”

“Just two sir, SM-2s.”

“Any malfunction reported on our missile?”

“No sir, the telemetry was clean until it went down.”

“Well now… This is very interesting. They must have hit that MOS-III with something else, but not a Phalanx gun. Look, our telemetry is cut off here, a little outside the range of their gun system.”

“Sir, I got an unusual emission during our Moskit II salvo, and I picked it up again just now. I think they have a laser defense system.”

“Yes… That would make sense. It’s the one thing faster than our missile, the only thing faster.” Karpov’s eyes narrowed. The junior officers watched him, wondering what he would do next. Would it be another barrage of Moskit IIs, or perhaps a heavier salvo of the hypersonic missile they had just fired. Lasers were a one shot, one kill system, and then they needed recharge time before they could fire again. Had there been four MOS-IIIs in that salvo….

Karpov turned, looked at Fedorov, then, to the surprise of everyone there, he walked slowly over to Nikolin, who sat up quickly, as if he had been caught doing something wrong. In fact, he had been quietly sending his friend Tasarov a stream of Morse Code that he channeled through his headset on an internal network, and the two of them had been wagering on which missile would score the first hit.

“Mister Nikolin, open a channel—in the clear please. Hail that ship by both hull number and name. Tell them Vladimir Karpov wishes to speak with their Captain.”

There were more things under Karpov’s deck than missiles. His mind was equally dangerous, and now he wanted to take the measure of his adversary before he took this any further.

Chapter 44

DDG-180, JS-Takami, Sea of Okhotsk, 20 May ~ 14:52

“Sir,” said Ensign Shiota. “I’m picking up a voice radio message—in the clear.”

“From who? Kurita? Well I suppose EMCON has gone to hell, but they have a secure radio set. Tell them to use it.”

“No sir. It’s that Russian ship sir. They’ve hailed us directly, and they want to talk with you.”

Harada looked over at his Executive Officer, a bemused look on his face. “In Japanese, or Russian?” he said with a grin.

“English sir.”

“Good enough, common ground most places in our time. Why not here? This ought to be interesting. Give it to me on the bridge overhead speaker.”

“Aye sir.”

Harada picked up the handset and spoke into the embedded speaker. “This is Captain Takechi Harada, Japanese Self-Defense Force. To whom am I speaking? Over.”

It was Nikolin’s voice, but the mind and words of Karpov. “Captain, this is Admiral Vladimir Karpov, Prime Minister and head of the Free Siberian State, speaking to you through an interpreter. Now, I don’t have the slightest idea how you and your ship got here, but then again, you are probably asking yourself the same thing about us. Am I correct? Over.”

“That pretty much sums up the situation, Admiral. I see that promotions come easy in the Russian Navy these days. Over.”

Karpov ignored the remark, and got right down to business. “Consider your situation, Captain. I counted eight missiles off your deck, and lo and behold they were aimed at my ship, but none of them hit. So you’re sitting across the table from me with an empty pistol. As you have just seen, that is not the case on this side of the argument. Now what in God’s name are you doing here fighting with the IJN?”

“Defending Japan.” Harada kept it real simple.

“I see… Well you may be broadly unaware of the situation here, but if you were better versed, you would see that every action I have taken against Japan has been fully justified. Your country presently has troops on Siberian soil, and one of two things will happen—Japan will either withdraw those troops and return all occupied territories to Siberian sovereignty, or I will take them by force. We started with Kamchatka earlier this year, and now the order of the day is Sakhalin Island. You people have been calling it Karafuto, but that is about to change.”

“Perhaps so,” said Harada in return. “Then again perhaps not.”

“Captain, don’t play tough guy out here with me, believe me, you’ll regret it. Your presence here was quite a surprise, to say the least, but radar signatures don’t lie, and my reflexes are as good as they come. Now, I’m not stupid, and I know exactly what you just tried to pull here. It failed. You’ve expended your SSMs, and if you persist, you’ll be expending a good deal more of your SAMs as well.”

Fukada looked over at the Captain, his eyes wide, mouthing something which prompted Harada to pause. “Mister Fukada?”

“He’s bluffing! They just threw thirteen missiles at us and we knocked each and every one down. He’s empty too, or at most he may have but one or two missiles left.”

“I’m not so sure,” said Harada. “The first twelve were all Sunburns. But that last number was something new. Did you get a signature on it, Otani?”

“I thought it was an upgraded Onyx, but it was just too damn fast. Had to be something new—maybe a Zirkon variant—hypersonic, sir.”

“Well pinch me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think they load those missiles in sets of one. That has to be one egg from a full nest. I’m betting he’s not bragging here. He’s got more under his forward deck than we first thought.” But Harada had to play the game here, and see what this man really wanted.

“It seems to me that you’ve expended a good many SAMs as well—not to mention the thirteen flies we swatted down over here. Don’t get pushy, Admiral. As you have seen, we can defend ourselves.”

“Well that’s damn well what you’ll be doing then, because you’re done insofar as offense goes. You want to close the range and try that 127mm deck gun? We have one too, right on the bow—along with six more 152s on three twin turrets. Let me put it to you this way, Captain. You throw another missile at my helos and I’ll throw the kitchen sink at yours. As for that airborne contact just crossing over the eastern shore of Sakhalin about 60 nautical miles to our southwest, those planes are about to have a really bad day. Now you can either get on the radio and save some lives, or I’ll take them apart, plane by plane, the instant they break through my 40 mile range circle. After that, I’ll see if that surface action group 20 miles off your bow has any SM-2s. I don’t think so. And when I’m done with them, I’ll come south for you. It’s either that, or you turn tail and withdraw. Your call, Captain. Vladimir Karpov, over and out.”

Harada said nothing more, switching off the handset and returning it to its cradle. “Damned if we do, damned if we don’t,” he muttered. “Lieutenant Commander, what do you make of this?”

“He’s right on one count, sir. We’re sitting here with an empty pistol—except for one thing, the rail gun. We don’t have to close on him to use that. We’ve had the range for the last thirty minutes.”

“Yes, but something tells me that would be like poking a stick in a beehive. Mister Honjo, what’s our SM-2 count looking like?”

“Thinning out, sir. We’ve got 13 forward and 23 more aft. 36 total on that system, and then we have the 12 SM-3s.”

“Anyway you look at it,” said Fukada, “we’ll be an empty shell if he does have another batch of those hypersonic SSMs. Neither of the two SM-2s we fired were able to get a hard target lock before that last missile was in its terminal run. That’s just not good enough. We would have to use the SM-3s, and hope to god we see them coming earlier. We can’t let another of those hypersonic jobs get inside 20 klicks before we pick it up.” Fukada had a hard face, but there was a crack in his bravado that Harada clearly perceived.

“If we do use the rail gun, and get any kind of a hit, bet on him throwing anything he has left,” said Harada.

“I’m not so sure about that,” said Fukada. “He’s already put thirteen missiles on us, and with nothing to show for it. I’m willing to bet that’s more ordnance than he’s used in all other operations here, though that’s a guess. We really have no idea how long he’s been here. The point I’m making, sir, is that those missiles matter. That’s his might and muscle here, and once it’s gone, it’s gone for good, just like our missiles.”

“So you’re suggesting we thumb our nose at this bastard just to get him to burn through his missile inventory?”

“We do that, and we’ve mission killed him, sir. He’ll probably have his SAMs in good numbers, but there is no way he could really hurt the IJN after that. So what I’m betting on is that he knows that as well.”

“Explain.”

“He can’t expend all his ordnance trying to take us out, because if he does, he’s basically just a fast anti-aircraft cruiser after that. In that event, we tell Yamamoto that he needs to hold his carriers in reserve, and then he can go after that bastard with his battleships. I don’t think an S-300 SAM will put much of a dent in Yamato.”

“Well that’s real creative, Mister Fukada. You want me to provoke him into throwing a basket full of hypersonic missiles at us, just so we can spoil his party here. The only problem with that is we may not be here to give that friendly advice to Yamamoto.” Harada thought, and then decided to raise the stakes. He reached for the handset again, and nodded for Shiota to broadcast.

“Now hear this, battlecruiser Kirov. This is the IJN, DDG-180, Takami—come back.”

“BCG Kirov receiving,” came the reply. “Go ahead, Takami.”

“Captain Harada speaking, and you can tell your Admiral Karpov there that we’re not going anywhere. If you’ve got the SSMs, we’ve got the SAMs, so bring it on. Once we pull your teeth, you won’t be much more than a radar picket here, and that’s as good as a K.I.A. as far as I’m concerned. JS-Takami, over and out.”

Battlecruiser Kirov, Sea of Okhotsk, 20 May ~ 15:00

“Looks like they’ve called our bet,” said Fedorov looking at the Admiral.

“Yes,” said Karpov, “that seems to be the case, but I don’t think it will take all 39 of our remaining SSMs to kill that ship.”

“True, but if they do have the SAMs then we may have to expend a fairly good number to overcome their defense. They know that, and in true Japanese fashion, they are going to stand there and bar the door, come what may.”

“You think they’ll sacrifice their ship just to pull our teeth?”

“That sounds like their plan, sir. How many missiles can we afford to commit here?”

“As many as it takes.” Karpov was angry now. “Those impudent little—”

“Con, radar, those airborne formations are coming up on our 40 mile range circle.”

Karpov pinched his nose, chasing the headache that this entire situation had become. Every time he maneuvered himself to a position where he could make a decisive intervention, something happened to interfere with his plans. In August of 1941, on their first arrival, it had been Troyak and his Marines, just when he was ready to smash the Allied fleet. Back home in 2021, it had been the Demon Volcano, just when he was ready to finish off Captain Tanner and his vaunted carrier battlegroup. 1908 would have been a cake walk with Admiral Togo’s antiquated fleet, but then along came Kazan, and Fedorov had everything to do with much of his frustration. Now, just as he was poised to break the Japanese Northern Fleet, here comes this challenger from his own day, unaccountably here, but as real as the missiles it was firing.

And when Karpov met with resistance, there was one sure response that he had demonstrated time and time again. He had tried to tell Fedorov he was a chastened and wiser man now, but some problems become nails that stubbornly refuse to be pulled from the beam. And when that happened, Karpov too often did the one thing that was both expedient and certain to resolve the situation in his favor.

He reached for a hammer.

“Damn annoying,” said Karpov, looking at the updated position of the air contacts. The predictive plot line was indicating they would be in position to attack the ship in just 12 minutes. “Samsonov—two missiles, Klinok system. Give them a taste of what they’ll get if they persist, and also let our uninvited guests to the south see that we mean what we say. Take down the lead incoming planes.” He looked at Fedorov. “You know, I have half a mind to plop a special warhead right here,” he pointed to the Plexiglass screen. “It would take out their surface action group, knock down all those planes and the EMP and shock wave would probably fry the electronics on that destroyer.”

Fedorov’s pulse quickened. There it was, Karpov’s old reflex to escalate the situation when he was under stress. “Sir, a nuclear weapon? I hardly think that is warranted here.”

“You heard that bastard. They’re going to sit there and force me to run missile after missile at them. Our SSMs are valuable. I already regret the thirteen we’ve thrown away here. And who knows how many more it will take to get through their SAM defense? A special warhead would be so much quicker. In fact, on a MOS-III it would get so close that it would probably take them out if we detonate before they try that laser again. It would end this here and now, leaving my SSM inventory strong enough to continue to apply pressure on the Japanese here in the north. Our first order of business will be to find the carriers these bothersome planes are coming from. That will teach them.”

Fedorov had to think quickly here, because knowing Karpov, he was just one order away from doing what he was suggesting. That would put the two of them head to head in a most uncomfortable way, as protocol held that the Starpom must repeat the Captain’s order, thereby giving his consent, in the deployment of any special warhead. Whether that mattered now with Karpov was debatable, but he needed to intervene here, and quickly.

“Sir… I understand your logic here, but it has one flaw.”

“Oh? Enlighten me, Mister Fedorov.”

“What you say is true. This action would preserve our SSM missile inventory, but for the expenditure of a special warhead? Would you trade that power for those 13 missiles we just fired? I certainly wouldn’t. Those warheads are decisive. Yes, they trump any enemy defense, in any situation we choose on a tactical level like this, but their real power lies in their application on the strategic level. Consider what the Americans did with theirs. They never once thought to develop this weapon for use on the tactical level. It was always a strategic blow they envisioned, and their target selection bears witness to that. Timed appropriately, in just the right situation, those warheads represent absolute power to change the course of events.”

Karpov pursed his lips. “Yes, I suppose that is true, but if I smash them here, take out these battleships and then find their carriers, I will have effectively broken the back of their Northern Fleet. It would then be impossible for them to interfere with our subsequent landings on Sakhalin.”

“Sir, I doubt they can do that as it stands. It won’t take much to mission kill that surface action group—just a handful of SSMs, or better yet, we could use the Vodopads. Torpedoes are a much better solution against those heavily armored battleships. Save the SSMs for the carriers, and it will only take one or two hits.”

“What about that destroyer? Do you think we can leave it to its devices here?”

“They have virtually no offensive capability now,” Fedorov said quickly. “And they’ve already expended a good number of SAMs here on defense. That’s all they are now, just what they think they can turn us into—a radar picket with good AA defense. In my view, their real military power here is very limited now. In fact, I wouldn’t even waste anything further on them. Yet, if you must, I would think four MOS-IIIs might do the job. Their laser defense may get one of them, but my bet is that one gets through. That said, I would not give that ship the time of day here. They are not a threat to our operations, not even worth those four MOS-IIIs.”

Karpov waited, thinking, then raised an eyebrow. “Of course,” he said quietly. “I was only thinking out loud, Fedorov, nothing more. Mister Samsonov… I think it’s time we do make good on one of our promises. Take down that incoming air strike.”

Chapter 45

“Sir,” said Otani. “I have missile fire again. This time its directed at the air strike off Kaga. SA-N-92 Gauntlet type missiles are outbound now.”

“Range?”

“79 nautical miles.”

“We’d never hit them with the SM-2,” said Fukada. “They’ll be on target before our missiles are even half way there.”

“A lot of good we’ve done here,” said Harada, somewhat dejected. “If we’re to defend the fleet, we’ll have to have all the eggs in our nest. With missiles as fast as these Russian SSMs, we can’t even protect Kurita—which reminds me. Have they turned?”

“No sir, they are still on a heading of 020 degrees north, and at 24 knots.”

“Well then we need to reinforce our suggestion and get them out of there. Otherwise this Karpov will do exactly what he bragged about a moment ago. Let’s face it, we need to withdraw. We’ve covered the landing of those troops, but this plan to take on that Russian battlecruiser had gone bust. It isn’t a question of us getting him now. It’s down to whether or not we can save ourselves.”

“What about the rail gun,” said Fukada, pointing to that weapons control station.

“What about it? Like I said earlier, all we would do is rile them up if we started taking pokes at them with that gun. I say we pull in our horns, make a graceful bow and get the hell out of here. If he continues south towards Hokkaido, then we’ll reconvene this discussion. But at least down south we’ve got more Japanese land based air power. It looks like they’ve called my bluff. We’re finished.”

“But we might at least get in a few licks, perhaps damage them.”

“Sour grapes,” said Harada. “No, mister Fukada, it’s weapons tight on the rail gun. That’s an order. And before you get your feathers ruffled about it, I want you to consider the fact that we’ve got just 36 SM-2s left. If we hang on in this scenario, we might have to use them all, and with a very uncertain outcome for this ship. Yet if we keep those arrows in our quiver, we’ve at least retained some tactical power as a military fighting ship. It’s going to be a very long war….”

Fukada thought about that, and his own arguments to Yamamoto. He realized that Harada was correct. They had mismanaged their attack. Communications were in place, but the pilots off those carriers had trouble adapting to the last minute change of plans. They were late, and now they die out there alone, with our only consolation being the fact that the Russians have to expend ordnance to kill them. The Captain summed it up pretty good. All we are now is a candle in the wind of this war. Yet he’s right about those 36 missiles. If we hold those, we might make a difference somewhere else, against the Americans. That’s what we should have done in the first place. Why wouldn’t Yamamoto listen to me?

He knew the answer to that the moment he asked himself the question. They appeared here in a daze, unbelieving, shocked by what had happened to them. Then they hatched this plan to get to Yamamoto. It did one good thing, he thought. It put us on the right side of this argument. We had to stand up for Japan, even if it meant we turned our backs on the allies that designed and built the technology we’re using now. This ship is basically just a knock off for a Burke Class Destroyer, with a few more bells and whistles.

But look at us now. Our SSMs are gone, and 40% of our SAMs, and all we did was cost the other fellow 13 missiles. We walked into Yamamoto and Ugaki like we were demigods, miracle workers, with the ship that would turn the tide here in the Pacific. I suppose that’s why Yamamoto set us loose up here. He knows that Russian ship, Siberian ship, is his real nemesis for the time being. It will take the Americans some time to get back on their feet after losing those two carriers in the Coral Sea.

So now we must make a shameful withdrawal here, and then explain all this to Yamamoto. That will be somewhat humbling, won’t it? But at the moment, I don’t see anything more we can do here. “Alright,” he said aloud to the Captain. “I agree with your assessment. In fact, I argued it from the very first. Let’s get out of here, before this Karpov tries our defense again.”

Harada nodded. “Helm, come about. Make your heading 180 degrees south. Ensign Shiota, advise Admiral Kurita that we are redeploying south—don’t use the word withdrawal or retreat. State that all air assets must return to the carriers immediately. Make it urgent. Send it to Kobayashi, and he’ll deliver it to Kurita.”

“I understand, sir.”

When Kurita got that message read to him by the liaison officer, he clenched his jaw. “Redeploy to the south? Why? The enemy is here—somewhere. We must be very close now.”

“Sir,” said the Lieutenant. “In order to properly defend the fleet against the missile weaponry you have witnessed in play here, it is imperative that we now form a unified battlegroup. We are too far north for Takami to adequately protect us.”

“Protect us? That is a cruiser! I am sitting on a battleship, and there is a second one off our port bow.”

“Sir, respectfully, that did not stop the rocket weapons that struck this ship earlier. And you witnessed many such weapons pass our position heading south. They were fired at Takami, and I am happy to report that each and every one of them was defeated by our own rockets. If, however, they had been directed at this task force….” He let a moment of silence underscore his message. Kobayashi was a bright young officer, and he had been selected because of his uncanny way with his seniors, who invariably came to admire him. He seemed to know every nuance of the culture and language, even with these men, ghosts from Japan’s distant past.

“Respectfully, sir, if we join with Takami as a single task force, then your ships can be shielded from harm, and your guns may then get their chance. Yet we must redeploy south, out of range of the enemy to consolidate. Captain Harada makes this urgent request, and begs you to come to a heading of 180 true south. As for the air strikes, he requests they should be recalled to Kaga and Tosa immediately, the planes were unable to time their arrival properly, and Takami remains too far south to defend them as they approach.”

Kurita stared at the man, the anger evident in his eyes. Yet he was no fool, and one thing was now perfectly clear to him, this ship—the Takami—was overmatched. Yes, the attack was not properly coordinated. This is what happens when I allow a Captain to dictate deployments here. I should have taken complete charge of this mission, as I was ordered by Admiral Yamamoto. Under these circumstances, however, it would be foolish to press on without support of all our remaining fleet assets, particularly the carriers. As reluctant as I am to do so, the best course would now be to regroup as this Captain suggests.

“Very well,” he said. “Signal Takami that we are redeploying south as requested, whereupon he will meet with me personally on this ship to explain the incompetence that has put us in this position. That is all. Dismissed!”

* * *

When Karpov got the news that the enemy battleships had turned south, he smiled. Yes, he thought, I called their bluff and they folded. Now I savor the satisfaction that comes only to those who truly have power. This unexpected intruder is largely irrelevant. There is no sense wasting more missiles on it, let alone a special warhead. I’ll knock down those planes if they persist, then hasten this other surface action group along, and that alone will show this Captain Harada just how futile his situation is. That ship was never a match for Kirov, but then again, they knew that. This is why they tried to coordinate their surprise attack with these air strikes, but it was badly done.

We were Achilles here today, they were Hector, but lucky that I spared them. Now all of Troy lies before me for the taking. I’ve beaten the one champion they had with any chance of putting a dent in my armor. There is nothing they can do to stop me now, at least on the sea. The rest will be up to our troops on Sakhalin Island. If they do the job, then we will prevail.

I tested Fedorov just now to see how he might react to my proposal to use special warheads. While I expected resistance, I must say his analysis was quite sound. Even though he has been a lot of trouble in the past, he can be quite an asset now. He was completely correct in pointing out that, while we are harboring tactical nukes in our magazines, their real power here lies in strategic application.

And there was one other thing that restrained me, even if he failed to mention it—the exotic effects of a nuclear detonation. I mustn’t forget that we still have Rod-25 aboard. From what I can gather in speaking with Fedorov, Time is rather warped and bruised here now. We must be very cautious about putting any more cracks in Fedorov’s mirror.

This other matter he brought up was also somewhat unsettling. He’s worried, as he always is, about the history, only this time there is something darker, more frightening in his manner than I ever perceived before. He is thinking our actions here are already starting to migrate forward, changing the history in the far future, in our time. He is worried that we will do something that will completely undermine the line of causality, and render our position here null and void. That would be very inconvenient.

I like my position here. In fact, I have no intention of ever trying to return to 2021. I saw quite enough of that world, that war. This one I can manage. Here I am a god on the sea, and a real player in these events. Back there, I am just another sea Captain, just another target when the ballistic missiles start to fly. ‘If I hold out here and I lay siege to Troy, my journey home is gone, but my glory never dies.

If I voyage back to the fatherland I love, my pride, my glory dies . . .’ Words spoken by Achilles, he thought, and so I share his dilemma. Yet Fedorov may be on to something in his fear of tomorrow’s unfolding, and I must heed his warning.

When the engagement had settled down, his enemy turned south, Karpov gave orders to come about. Even the enemy planes turned to withdraw, and they only had to use those two Klinok missiles to discourage them.

That was not very Japanese of them, he thought, but someone must have ordered them to break off. Perhaps I will meet this ship again another day, but for now, I must speak with my Starpom.

“Mister Fedorov, a most satisfactory engagement. Yes?”

“Any engagement where the ship comes through without harm is a good one,” said Fedorov. “That said, we’re light a baker’s dozen under the forward deck.”

“Perhaps so, but they are far worse off, and largely irrelevant now.”

“Don’t discount them,” Fedorov cautioned. “That SPY-1D radar set is enough of a weapon to make a real difference here. Were they worth another dozen SSMs? I think not, but they remain a factor here, and a dangerous one.”

“I’m more concerned with this worry you have for the future. What is it, another threat from Paradox?”

“One was enough,” said Fedorov with a shrug.

“Yes… I faced it in a very harrowing hour aboard Tunguska, but as you can see, I prevailed, not Mother Time. That may sound like hubris, but here I stand, and she is still trying to figure out what to do about me—yes, I have no doubt. Then you see no paradox on our present course?”

“No, it isn’t that. The period we are in now is a kind of safe zone for the ship. We were never here before on the first ship. Remember? It was late August of 1941 when you did resort to a tactical nuke—”

“And I blew the ship into oblivion.”

“Correct.”

“Where in hell were we? I was in the brig, and did not see all that much. Believe me, it’s the last time that will ever happen.”

“The warhead, sir?”

“The damn brig! That aside, Volsky said the world went to hell.”

“Hell is a good way to describe it. I think it was a future that arose from our actions here, and it was very grim. Be glad you didn’t get a better look at it, but you remember what we saw in the Med before we shifted, Rome burned and blackened, Naples gone. Yes, it was hell.”

“But this period is safe? Explain.”

“We vanished in August of 1941, sailed through that broken future to the Med, and then reappeared a full year later, in August of 1942, right in the middle of Operation Pedestal. With Malta gone, that history isn’t likely to repeat, let alone the fact that we are still here in the Pacific. We never vanished last August like the first ship.”

“Should we fear that date, August of 1942? Might there be another paradox there?”

“No… I don’t think so. We stayed put this time, and never shifted, though I was more than a little concerned when you suggested we might use a special warhead earlier. You are well aware of the unexpected after effects of a nuclear detonation by now.”

“No argument there,” said Karpov. “Then you feared we might shift again if I had used such a weapon here.”

“Quite possibly. I would not want to be anywhere near a detonation like that. If I were you, I would reserve those warheads for the longest range missile we have, so the ship would be as far from the impact site as possible.”

Karpov nodded. “So then, if there’s no paradox to worry about come this August, what has you so spooked?”

“Just what I discussed with you earlier. We could do something, cause a change here that would knock out a key supporting beam holding up the future that built this ship. I’ve been thinking about that, and trying to discover what it could be, where the key event is that we must not disturb, and I think I may be on to something.”

“Tell me.”

“Think about it yourself, Admiral. I was the man who whispered in Sergei Kirov’s ear. Yes? My careless advice, and I suppose his inherent curiosity, led him to try that stairway again at Ilanskiy, and he ended up assassinating Josef Stalin. Hence we have the world we are sailing in.”

“It wasn’t all your doing,” said Karpov. “I was largely responsible for the fact that we are now trying to throw the Japanese off Sakhalin Island. I’ll say again that, had it not been for your interference—”

“Yes, yes, we’ve been over that,” Fedorov interrupted.

“All I am saying is that there is plenty of blame to go around. I know what I did, and here I am, trying to set things right, take back the territories Russia lost as a result of that fiasco in 1908.”

“Fine, but that still won’t lift the burden from my shoulders. We still end up with the Orenburg Federation because of me.”

“Ah, now I know why you are so glum. But was it really you, Fedorov? What were you doing there at Ilanskiy? You certainly had no idea that stairway had this amazing property. It was pure happenstance. In fact—why were you there?”

“I was looking for Orlov. You know what we planned.”

“Of course I do. I was right there when you persuaded Volsky to let us take Rod-25 to the Primorskiy Engineering Center so you could shift back that way.”

“You see? It was all my doing.”

“I don’t think so.” Karpov was watching his reaction closely now. “No Fedorov, I don’t think it was you at all. You have to look further back on that chain of causality you speak of. Pull on it a while, and just a few links down the line you come to someone else who had a good deal to do with all of this—Orlov.”

Fedorov shook his head. “Kamenski said the same thing, but It wasn’t Orlov at Ilanskiy, it was my fault there.”

“Yes, but you were only there because Orlov jumped ship. Ever consider that? Our surly Chief of Operations didn’t like his lot after our failed coup attempt—alright, after my failed mutiny the first time out. I’ll admit the plan was mine, and I duped him into supporting me. So there he was, busted in rank, stuck with Troyak and the Marines, and so he just flat out deserted. Remember? You tried to stop him in the very first minutes you realized what he was doing. We put five S-300s in the air after him, but his life seems charmed. It was Orlov. Yes. He’s the one that led you on that wild goose chase to fetch him back, and that was how you came to Ilanskiy. When did he do that—jump ship like that?”

Fedorov thought hard…. “It was August of this year, 1942. We were still in the Med, running for Gibraltar, and we wanted a helo up to scout ahead.”

“Right, and Orlov wormed his way onto that helo, with the deliberate intention of abandoning ship. And here it is, 1942 again, and with August just a few months off. I think we might want to keep an eye on this version of Orlov as well, though he seems completely clueless as to anything that happened before.”

Fedorov’s eyes widened slightly, for he knew that was not the case. Orlov had just awakened. The bad dreams that had been plaguing his sleep had become real memories. Karpov didn’t know any of that yet, and something warned him not to speak of it here. And with that thought, he also ran the words of Director Kamenski through his recollection again:

“Nothing you did would have ever occurred if not for Karpov’s little rebellion, or Orlov’s strange letter. He is more than a little fish, I think, but Karpov is a free radical, a wildcard, an unaccountable force in all of this history we’ve been writing and re-writing. Everything that has happened, except perhaps that first explosion on the Orel, can be laid at Karpov’s feet…”

Interesting that Karpov failed to take his line of reasoning that one step further, thought Fedorov. Yes, everything can be laid at his feet, the first detonation that sent us to 1942 and Operation Pedestal was his doing. He led the ship through the hole in time caused by the Demon Volcano, and from there, it was again his doing that sent it to 1908. What he did there is still apparent here in this world. As for Orlov… He brought us Kinlan, and when I threw that thing he found overboard, who knows what else it may have done?

Part XVI

Cherry Blossoms

“That is the beauty of the rose, that it blossoms and dies.”

— Willa Cather

Chapter 46

On the northern Island of Hokkaido, the Cherry Blossoms were blooming very late that year. It was already June, the war over six months old, but the beauty of the fragile white flowers had not been frightened away. Yet that year, another flower was blooming in a secret design facility near Yokosuka that had first been set up to evaluate models of foreign aircraft acquired by Japan before the war. It was now working closely with the Naval Academy and design bureau at Tsukijii near Tokyo Bay, and the flowers they were contemplating would one day come to be known as the MXY-7 Ohka, or “Cherry Blossom.”

For a long year now, there had been rumors, followed by intelligence, concerning the existence of a phantom ship that had appeared in the Atlantic, soon found to be closely cooperating with the British Royal Navy. It was thought to be a highly advanced prototype ship, bearing weapons that soon shocked military analysts in battles with the German Kriegsmarine. They were naval rockets, fast, precise in their targeting, and very deadly.

The rumors remained simply that for some months, talk in the bars, whispered tales, sailor’s stories as wile and contrived as those of a fisherman describing his catch. But they did not remain rumors and stories for very long. Not ten days after the dramatic opening attack on the American fleet at Pearl harbor, the rumors and gossip became a grim reality, witnessed by officers of the highest rank aboard the flagship of the Kido Butai, the carrier Akagi.

A sighting report had come in from a search plane describing a fast moving vapor trail approaching Nagumo’s task force from the north. That alone had been puzzling, for there was no land mass of any kind in that direction where a plane might have originated.

“What is this supposed to mean?” said Nagumo at that time, handing the report to the ship’s Captain. “A fast moving vapor trail?”

The Captain frowned at the paper, but at that moment a bell rang and the upper watch was reporting verbally that something was in the sky to the north. Nagumo considered the possibilities quickly. The only land mass that could have launched an aircraft was Wake Island to the south. What would be coming out of the north? Could one of the American carriers have been so bold as to follow them? Surely his search planes would have spotted such a task force creeping up, but he had not paid much attention to the northern flank. He had three fighters up on cap, with three more on the decks of his carriers ready for immediate launch. He had it in mind to have his Air Commander, Masudo Shogo, vector in one of those fighters for a look, until he saw what the watchmen were reporting with his own eyes.

The meaning of ‘fast moving vapor trail’ was now immediately apparent. Something was soaring towards his position, high in the sky, but now it began to descend, like some demigod or demon swooping down. It had to be a plane on fire, he thought, raising his field glasses, and thinking he could even see the faint gleam of fire there. Some ill-fated pilot was falling to his doom, but impossibly fast in the descent. Who could it be?

Then, to his utter amazement, the falling aircraft leveled off just before it would have crashed into the sea. All the men on the bridge who saw it reacted, some pointing in awe. The Admiral’s eyes narrowed as he watched. It was coming, still burning from what he could see, low and fast over the water, and the fire from its tail glowed upon the sea. That such a descent could have been corrected at the last moment like that seemed an impossible feat of flying to his mind, but now he would see more than he ever thought possible. The aircraft suddenly veered left, then right again, dancing over the water like a mad kami from hell. The pilot must have finally lost control, he thought, but the longer he looked, the more those first moments of surprise extended into shock.

The maneuvers that aircraft was making could not be accomplished by any plane he had ever known, and yet there was something about the snap of its course corrections that led his mind to conclude they were carefully controlled.

The thing in the sky came flashing in at the ship, as if deliberately piloted and steered to collide with the carrier. Nagumo saw the deck of Akagi heave upward when it struck, exploding deep within the innards of the carrier. He staggered under the jarring impact, still stunned and not yet even knowing what could have possibly hit the ship. Yet he had seen it with his own eyes, and now the roar of chaos and fire was all about him. It was as if some demonic spirit had simply reached down and hammered his fist against the side of the carrier, breaking its hard metal hull and shattering all within.

The shock of that hit weighed heavily on the entire bridge crew, and they would soon learn that the entire center of the upper hangar deck was involved with fire.

“It was clearly a single plane,” said Fuchida. “I was well aft when it came, seeing to the three Zeros we have spotted on ready alert. The impact knocked me from my feet.”

“One plane?” said Shogo. “Its speed was fantastic! Could it have been the rocket weapons we were warned about?”

“The tales told by the Prophet?” said Hasegawa. “You might just as easily tell me it was a sky demon”

“That is not far from the truth,” said Genda. “Plane, rocket, it does not matter. We have seen what it can do, how it can move and strike us with such precision.”

“It must have been piloted,” said Shogo. “No rocket fired from over the horizon could hit with such accuracy. So if it was piloted, then it must have been launched from a carrier. We must find it and destroy it at once!”

Those first words, uttered in both awe and fearful respect for the weapon that had just attacked them, would soon reach the ears of the aeronautical designers at technical facilities all over Japan, and one in particular, an Ensign Mitsuo Ohta, took them to heart…. “No rocket fired from over the horizon could hit with such accuracy. It must have been piloted….”

The concept of rockets wat not a new thing, particularly to the people and culture of Japan. The Chinese Song Dynasty had created rudimentary rockets as early as the year 1232, and enemy warriors actually described them as “Fire Arrows,” with a devastating explosion on impact that could be heard five leagues away. In the 14th Century, the first multi-stage rocket would be born, described as a fire dragon in the artillery manual known as the Huolongjing, or Huo Lung Ching.

Used by the Chinese Navy, it would be fired from a ship, and could then even ignite smaller rocket propelled arrows from the front of the missile, the fiery breath of the monster used to attack the enemy. Others called them flying crows with magic fire. So it came as no great surprise that the Germans of the 1940s were not the only nation working on rocketry, and the Japanese interest in the subject had been dramatically accelerated when the Akagi was struck by what might easily be described as a flying dragon on the 16th of December, 1941.

Now Japan had finally seen the devastation that could be achieved by the use of naval rocketry. Work on their own rocket engines had been feverishly advanced since that time, and a great deal of progress had been made, particularly when a cache of secret documents were mysteriously delivered from the Japanese embassy in Orenburg, a “gift” from Ivan Volkov. In them were detailed plans of models the Germans were currently working on, and suggestions for solving problems in the design of their own rockets, improving range, airframe design, aeronautic stability.

The one problem that would evade a solution was how such weapons could be guided to their intended targets. No mechanical solution could be found. The Germans were exploring avenues of research using radio controlled systems that might be guided to targets visually by a pilot in the plane that carried and launched their aerial flying dragons. So the Japanese also began to develop versions of a missile that would look very much like the German V-1 Buzz Bomb.

The Ohka was their version, and they were working on a host of variants, some that might be mounted on a Model 24J Bomber, the one the Allies called “Betty.” This was the Model 11, and it was powered by three Type 4 Mark 1 Model 20 solid fuel rockets. It would have limited range, making it necessary to use the bomber to carry the weapon within 20 nautical miles of the target, and the bomber could not fly off the deck of a carrier. While these liabilities made the Model 11 unsuitable for use by the Navy, the Japanese Air Force was keenly interested in it as a possible means of precision bombing, because the guidance problem had been solved another way—the Ohka would be designed to be guided by a pilot. That solution would later lead the Americans to dub the missile the “Buka,” which was the Japanese word for “stupid,” or “fool.”

Yet the men who would line up in Japan to volunteer to pilot those revolutionary craft were no stupid fools, but the brave souls who would come to be known in Japan as the Jinrai Butai, the Thunder Gods. A plan was already in the works to produce 750 of the Model 11 Ohka missiles, and there would be 750 men ready to pilot them, each one willing to give his life to deliver the weapon he controlled to its target. There, painted on the side of the fuselage of the Ohka, was the image of a cherry blossom, and when the Thunder Gods flew, their souls would fall like those fragile flowers when they died, but they would take many souls with them, or so it was believed.

For the Navy, the Model 22 Ohka seemed much more interesting. It would use a new engine, and have a much longer range. In fact, the Germans were planning to launch their own V-1s from France, flying them over the English Channel to hit targets all over England, and they could achieve a range of 250 Kilometers, delivering an 850kg warhead of Amatol. The Navy wanted a similar engine on the Okha, and Yamamoto knew exactly where he could find the blueprints—in the library of a most unusual ship that had come to him after that fateful and untimely eruption of Krakatoa off Java. While that explosive event had savaged Japanese troops ashore and at sea, it also delivered a new champion to the fleet, the strange men and their marvelous ship of war, the Takami.

They had told the Admiral they could defend the fleet with their own amazing radars and aerial rocket weapons, and even pose a challenge to the mysterious raider that had attacked Akagi and sunk the Hiryu. A plan had been hatched to launch an ambush when the Siberians boldly moved to invade northern Sakhalin Island, then called North Karafuto by the Japanese. One of Yamamoto’s most trusted Admirals, Kurita, led two of Japan’s fast new battleships north to escort Takami, and the carriers Tosa and Kaga joined to provide the air power.

Unfortunately, the plan failed, and now Takeo Kurita’s neck burned with shame as he came to report to Yamamoto, and explain why. He bowed low, a long and deep bow that would only be offered under such grave circumstances, and Yamamoto, knowing what was in the mind of his able officer, sat patiently until Kurita finally rose, eyes still averted, the shame a look of actual pain on his face. Then Yamamoto decided enough was enough.

“Very well,” he said. “I have seen, and quite clearly, that the mission recently concluded has not caused any more hair to grow on the top of that bald head of yours, Kurita. Make your report, but do not think, for a single moment, that I will entertain any thought of your resignation, and far less of any notion you may have of ending your life. You were sent to conduct an offensive operation, just as Nagumo was sent to Pearl Harbor, nothing more, nothing less. It so happens that both my warriors returned with casualties. So be it. Now tell me what happened.”

Kurita cleared his throat, taking some time to find his voice. “Sir,” he said. “The mission was not well coordinated, and I take full responsibility. I was prevailed upon to hold my battleships back, though I had every wish to close and engage this Mizuchi when it finally appeared. Yet this Captain Harada aboard Takami pleaded with me to refrain, and I was foolish enough to heed him. I should have advanced to engage when I saw how futile the strange rocket weapons he used were.”

“Futile? You saw them?”

“Of course. My battleships were out in front, some 20 miles ahead of the Takami. We first saw the enemy missiles firing, and my men beat to quarters to engage them.”

“Did you not heed the warning I gave you concerning these rockets?”

“I did sir, but I believed the armor on my ships was strong enough to prevail, and my gunners brave and skilled enough to defend my battleships. To do otherwise would be cowardice.”

“Yes, yes I have heard that from many others, and I do not wish to hear it again now. A man has a brave heart when he goes into any battle, but he must also have a head on his shoulders, and know when and how to fight. Did these missiles attack your ships?”

“One struck Hiraga, but for the most part, these rockets simply passed us by, six or seven in a long train, all heading south. I should have increased speed immediately to engage the enemy, but this Captain Harada…”

“You should have done no such thing. I sent you to the wreck of the Mutsu for a good reason, and now we have damage on Hiraga to repair. I will tell you that I second the movement suggested to you by Captain Harada, and it is very fortunate that you carried it out. Had you persisted in any attempt to engage this Mizuchi, you would have surely been visited by more of those naval rockets.”

“But sir, how can we defeat the enemy if we do not attack him?”

“That remains to be seen,” said Yamamoto. “Certainly Captain Harada hoped to use guile, and his own naval rockets to prevail. What happened to the air strike?”

“It was ill-coordinated. The carrier planes were late, the land based planes ineffective, and I must—”

“No Kurita, do not attempt to take that upon yourself either. It was the responsibility of the carrier commander to get his planes where they belonged, not yours. Frankly, when I discuss this further in a moment with your subordinate, Captain Harada, I expect I will learn that this battle could have ended in no other way. Everything depended on the rockets his ship carried. If they failed to find and hurt this Mizuchi, then there was nothing more your battleships were going to accomplish. At least both ships remain seaworthy, as well as both of our carriers. Hiraga has damage, but it will be repaired soon enough. Prepare your battleship squadron for further operations as soon as possible.”

“But sir, I…”

“But sir what? Do not think any shame you may feel in this failure exempts you from further duty here. Nagumo felt the same when he returned from Pearl Harbor with only three operational carriers. We fight, we take losses. Sometimes we prevail, and at other times our enemies will get the best of the situation. That is the end of it. That is war. It is clear to me now that I failed to place the adequate tools in your hands to complete this mission successfully. Two carriers were not sufficient. It would have taken at least four in my estimation, and your battleships should not have been where they were. As you can see, the range of these naval rockets makes such a strategy foolish. Only our carriers have the means to strike the enemy at long range. From now on, your battleships will serve as fast escorts, running with the carriers, and doing everything possible to protect them. So this will be my order to you. Get Hiraga operational again, and then prepare to join Carrier Division 3 with Hiraga and Satsuma. You will receive further orders in the near future. Understood?”

Kurita bowed again, then nodded.

“Good,” said Yamamoto. “Now then, I will see this Captain Harada and his executive officer next, and hear their report. But understand this—you did everything I asked of you, and so I order you to set down the burden that you now carry, just as I asked the same of Nagumo. This war is only beginning. I need every officer, and every ship we have. We had 15 carriers operational on December 7th, 1941. Now we have only eight operational, and six have been sunk. Zuiho Survived the 5th of May, but just barely. Even when that ship returns, our carrier fleet is nearly cut in half, though we are now commissioning the Taiho to try and redress those severe losses. That said, Taiho will likely be the only new aircraft carrier to join the fleet for many more months until Shinano is completed. So every one of our remaining carriers is now worth its displacement in gold. See that Carrier Division 2 is well guarded.”

That was that. Yamamoto had no room for shame ridden officers. The war was now going to enter a much more dangerous phase. The Americans had been hurt, and very badly, but it had taken those seven carriers lost in action to put that damage on them. Yamamoto knew that there were now at least seven or more enemy carriers building in the United States, while in Japan, only the Shinano would be ready for operations soon. That was a matter he would have to redress, and quickly.

He himself had already gone to the Emperor, his own head lowered with shame, to make his report. He knew this war would be costly, never expecting Japan to emerge from it unscathed, but these early losses were particularly severe. He had been forced to ask the Emperor to activate the emergency fleet expansion project that had been secretly planned before the war.

As for this Mizuchi, that ship was a monster of a different kind. Yes, it would have taken at least four good carriers to have any chance against that beast, he thought. But how many of them would survive? I had hopes that this Takami might weigh heavily in the balance, but apparently those hopes were ill-founded. Now I must find out why.

“Very well, send in this Captain Harada and his Executive Officer. That will be all.”

Chapter 47

“Then you have no more missiles to attack this Siberian ship?” Yamamoto had heard Harada’s report of the battle, the how and why of it all; the decisions made, missiles fired, and the outcome. Now his mind had moved on to the possibilities that lay ahead.

“No sir,” said Harada. “To have any chance at all against a ship like that, it was necessary to fire everything we had in one salvo. Admittedly, the odds were long, but we at least had some chance of scoring a hit. As I have told you, our ship was primarily designed as an air defense fleet asset. We are meant to operate in a task force of similar ships, guarding other important fleet assets.”

“Your modern day carriers?”

“Such as we have. The Japan of 2021 does not have very many aircraft carriers. A few helicopter carriers are now receiving a new plane, but otherwise, our navy was prohibited from building carriers, because they were deemed to be an offensive weapon, and the force was merely designed for defense after Japan’s defeat in this war.”

“I see…” said Yamamoto. There was that word again, defeat, and it was a hard one to bear. The images he had seen in the library of the Takami still haunted him, the burned out cities, the image of Musashi dying that gallant but horrible death. For all the power he felt beneath him as they sat there in his stateroom aboard Yamato, he knew his own flagship was also fated for destruction. It all seemed inevitable now, just as he feared at the opening of this war. It all seemed to be written, as it was in that library, and how could he ever hope to write that history otherwise? He realized, even now, that Japan had gone to war with the United States without any clear plan on how that enemy would be defeated.

“So now you are a fleet defense asset,” he said to Harada. “You have no further offensive capability?”

“We have a few torpedoes, though they are also defensive weapons, largely for use against enemy submarines. The explosive charge is under 100 pounds, only ten percent as compared to your own Type 93 torpedo. We might use some of our anti-aircraft missiles in an anti-shipping role, but only against very lightly armored targets. They would not put much hurt on a cruiser or even an American carrier of this era.”

“But this Mizuchi… It still has such weapons that can hit our ships?”

“If I may, sir,” said Fukada, “we aren’t exactly certain how many missiles they have, but twenty is a normal loadout on their main ship killers. They fired thirteen at us, and we stopped them all, except the one that struck Hiraga.”

“Thirteen?” said Yamamoto. “Interesting. They have already fired three at my carriers, so that make sixteen. And they fired three at Mutsu and Chikuma, so that makes 19. Are you suggesting they may only have one more of these naval rockets at their disposal?”

“We don’t know that for certain,” said Harada. “Yes, twenty is a normal loadout, but they may have been carrying more—at least they seemed to suggest they had a loaded gun still pointed at my head when we spoke with them.”

“Spoke with them?” This surprised Yamamoto.

“Yes,” said Harada, “we had a nice little parley with the enemy in the middle of the fight. They threatened us with further harm unless we withdrew. I called their bluff, but nothing else came of it. In the end, withdrawal was the wiser course, and I strongly recommended that to Kurita, though I know he wasn’t happy about it.”

“Very well,” said Yamamoto. “Even if this ship does have only one more of these rockets, it only took one to sink the Hiryu and one to send Akagi into the docks for four months. Let us assume they have at least that many, and possibly more.”

“I believe they do have more sir,” said Harada. “Missiles are bundled in groups, and then mounted in silos or compartments beneath the deck. They fired twelve of one type missile at us, a very deadly model that we call the Sunburn. It took a good many of our own missiles to stop them, but we got them all. Then, near the end of the engagement, they fired a different kind of missile at us, much faster, though with a smaller warhead. We used a special defense system I have not spoken of to target and kill this missile, but the point I am making is that it would be rare, indeed very odd, if such a missile were mounted alone. In fact, they are designed to work in groups and be fired in salvos. They hunt like a pack of wolves, and are even able communicate with each other and make independent decisions about targeting assignments. No, it would have to be in a module or group like the other missiles we faced. For this reason, I suggest they have more of that type. A small group might see four in one underdeck compartment, so I would say they have at least three more.”

“Unless those were the other three missiles they fired at the carriers,” said Fukada.

“They may have been the nest mates of the last missile they fired at us, yet we can’t be sure in any case,” said Harada.

“Then let us simply assume our enemy can still harm us,” said Yamamoto. “That is enough to guide our thinking here. However, the fact that his ordnance is limited is most interesting. I suppose I always knew this to be the case, but now it is more important, because we can threaten his ship and force him to use what he may have left, even if it costs us lives and ships to do so.”

“And it will,” said Harada. “Count on that, so choose the ships you want to expend carefully, and the men. I made such a threat, but the enemy failed to fire anything more at us. If they had, we might not be discussing this here.”

“Then you would agree that your ship has little offensive capability now.”

“True, but that does not mean we cannot be very useful. Our defensive capability is still available, and our electronic systems and radars can provide a great deal of situational awareness in a battle scenario. We can scout and find the enemy, and defend against air attack with an almost certain kill on any plane we target.”

“Until your own anti-aircraft missiles run out. Correct?”

“Correct.”

“And how many of these remain on your ship?”

“38 of one type, and 12 of another longer range variant.”

“So you can kill 50 planes. I suppose that is useful to know, for it represents a good part of an American carrier wing.” Yamamoto was filing all of this away into a compartment of his mind. There was no recrimination in his interaction with these men, and he did nothing whatsoever to shame them. They had done what they could, and failed to kill Mizuchi. Now he wanted only to ascertain how he might still integrate Takami into his fleet.

“Well gentlemen,” he said. “I must say that Admiral Kurita was none too happy when he left just now.”

“We could see that,” said Harada.

“He is a proud man, and perhaps I was remiss in putting him in a situation where he held the burden of command, while your knowledge of your own capabilities required you to intervene. I will not do this again. Henceforth, you will operate with our carriers. I will now take the advice offered to me by your Executive Officer earlier. Your ship will assist operations currently underway here in the south.”

“We would be honored, sir.”

“And you may be very busy. While you were away much has happened. Operation FS was launched, and initially with some success. We sank two enemy carriers in the Coral Sea and a third in the Koro Sea off Fiji. Yet for this we paid a very high price. Our own carrier fleet has nearly been cut in half. We lost Hiryu last December to this Mizuchi, then Gozo and Mezu were sunk in the Gilberts, Shokaku in the Coral Sea, and the hardest blow of all fell on that Koro Sea battle. There we lost Zuikaku and Shoho.”

“Those are very heavy losses,” said Fukada.

“Heavy indeed. At the moment we have 8 carriers operational. Kaga and Akagi are repaired and constitute Carrier Division 1. Soryu and Tosa form Carrier Division 2. The new carrier Taiho was commissioned in June, well ahead of schedule, and is presently in sea trials. Beyond that, we have three smaller carriers, the Hiyo, Junyo and Taiyo. I would like to assign your ship to Carrier Division 3. It will operate under Hara with the new Taiho, and two of the light carriers. I have a new mission in mind, but first you must understand the present situation.”

“Operation FS?” asked Fukada.

“It was partially successful. We have troops on Fiji, but so does the enemy. Their Marine Division has landed there, and it has been a bit of a slugfest. At first it appeared as if they might push us right into the sea, but we were able to reinforce our garrison. Yet keeping them supplied is now a daily burden. By day, planes we send to Nandi duel with their own planes at Suva Bay. By night, we send in fresh troops and supplies on fast cruisers and destroyers from Noumea. Their own carrier force remains in the area, though it now operates from Samoa as a forward base.”

“Which carriers survived?”

“Enterprise and Wasp. They also have the two hybrids that could return to the theater at any time, and a small escort carrier, more a seaplane tender, the Langley.”

“Excuse me sir, two hybrids?”

“Yes, they fought the French fleet before your arrival, sinking the Bearn, and even jousted briefly with one of our own light carriers. One was damaged in that action and sent to Pearl Harbor, but I must assume it has been repaired.”

“French fleet?” said Fukada. “I don’t understand.”

“It was just a few destroyers, light cruisers, and the one carrier, which the Americans quickly sunk.”

“Do you know the name of these ships—the hybrids you mention.”

“Antietam, and Shiloh. I believe those are battles from their Civil War.”

“Yes,” said Harada, “but we’ve not heard of those ships, at least not this early in the war.”

“Antietam was a long hull Essex class ship,” said Fukada. “Yet it did not appear until very late in the war, and there was no carrier by the name of Shiloh in WWII. Nor was there ever an engagement with the French fleet.”

“Nor a ship by the name of Takami, or another we call Mizuchi,” said Yamamoto. “Perhaps you gentlemen need to spend some time in our ship’s library.”

“It appears so,” said Harada, looking at Fukada.

Yamamoto continued. “There are three operations before the navy now. The first is the continuation of Operation FS. The second the persistence of this enemy raider in the north, Mizuchi, and the action on Karafuto. I fear neither one will have an easy or a speedy solution. My choices are limited. I can split the fleet 60/40 and try to bring one or another theater to a decisive resolution in our favor. May I ask you whether you think a massed fleet effort would prevail over this Mizuchi?”

“A massed effort,” said Harada. “You mean with many more carriers? That would be hard to say.”

“What if I were to assign four carriers to attack this ship?”

“Then they should all be grouped together, and Takami would have to be slightly forward of that group as an air defense picket. Any attempt to confront this raider on your own would likely only result in more losses to your carrier fleet. Of this I am almost certain. But with us present, our missile shield could defend you, and perhaps your strike wings could get something through, but you should expect heavy losses.”

“From the anti-aircraft missiles on this ship?”

“Yes sir. It is a much larger ship than Takami, and carries many more missiles.”

“How many more?”

“Fukada?”

“Over a hundred medium range, and perhaps another 30 to 40 longer range missiles after those they expended against our attack. Beyond that, they have very potent close in defense systems. Even planes that manage to get through the missile shield will face conventional gunfire that is lethal, and even more short range missiles. This Mizuchi, as you call it, is one of the best defended ships in the world—even in our world of 2021, and certainly in this one.”

“And if I chose to use two carrier divisions here in the south? What then?”

“Operate together in one group. Only then can we provide you with the defense you need. Our missiles, while they last, can strongly augment your own fighter defenses, though we would have to discuss how to coordinate that. Your fighters would have to be held back until our missile defense was expended, so as to minimize the risk of hitting our own aircraft by mistake.”

“Of course,” said Yamamoto. “And which of these operations do you deem the most important, the most decisive?”

Harada raised his eyebrows. “Getting Kirov—Mizuchi—would certainly be decisive if it could be accomplished. Without that ship there can be no further operations supported against Sakhalin. It would basically shut down that northern front, because your naval air power could then stop any replenishment effort for troops the Siberians have already landed. Then again, breaking the last of the American carrier capability in the south, and becoming masters of the waters around Fiji, could be equally decisive. Your control of that island goes a long way towards isolating Australia, and if you do sink those remaining enemy carriers, it will be a good long while before the Americans can do anything more offensively in the Pacific.”

“My thoughts exactly, “said Yamamoto. “Karafuto is a nuisance at the moment. The enemy has a foothold in the north, but we have sent the remainder of the 7th Division from Hokkaido, and the 54th and 53th Divisions are still available on northern Honshu. Those forces can easily create a stalemate there, but driving off or destroying the American carriers produces a rather dramatic shift in the balance of power now being contested.”

“Sir,” said Fukada. “You said there were three operations earlier. May I ask what the third is?”

“The British,” said Yamamoto. “The Indian Ocean. We had planned a raid there, to strike the British fleet at Colombo. The eruption of the volcano that preceded your arrival here put an end to those plans, but that ceded control of the entire Indian Ocean to the British. They are fighting us in Burma, and the Army wants support. In effect, they want us to become masters of the Indian Ocean as well.”

“How big is the British naval presence there?”

“They have two aircraft carriers, possibly three by now, and a number of surface ships. I was considering sending Carrier Division 3 there, well supported with surface ships, to see about this problem.”

“Then you want Takami in the Indian Ocean?” said Harada. “And where might you elect to campaign?”

“Against the American concentration around Fiji. I deem it the most strategic sector of the front. However, what you have just said concerning our chances of dealing with this Mizuchi is most sobering. It is obvious that a single carrier division cannot do the job. It is also apparent to me that as long as this ship remains at large, we can pose no real threat to the enemy lines of communications back to their northern port at Magadan. But soon it will be winter again, and that front will freeze over and become dormant. The ice will prevent Siberian ships from landing at Okha in the north, and they will have only their airship fleet to deliver supplies. Given that we have already stopped their attempt to push into southern Karafuto, I believe that front will soon become stagnant, allowing me to safely proceed with operations in the South Pacific.”

“A wise course,” said Harada. “Now sir, how can we assist you?”

Chapter 48

“Colombo,” said Yamamoto. “I want that base neutralized. To do so would not only serve to support our troops in Burma, but also cut British communications with India, and further isolate Australia by preventing any supply convoys from reaching it via the Indian Ocean.”

“That is a taller order than it may seem,” said Harada. “This attack you speak of was made in the history we know, but it was only a raid if I am not mistaken.” He looked at Fukada now.

“Yes sir, the Indian Ocean Raid. It should have already happened by now, a raid led by Admiral Nagumo, and with six carriers, three fleet carriers, and three lighter carriers. The battle was not a strategic victory for Japan, as no effort was ever made to occupy Ceylon. Doing that would have removed two vital British bases from the theater, Colombo and Trincomalee, and also put the Indian port of Madras under Japanese airpower from those same bases. It never happened, and the carrier duels and surface actions were inconsequential. The British fell back on Madagascar temporarily, which they had already taken from the French, and then built up again on Ceylon, remaining masters of the Indian Ocean for the remainder of the war. If you are going to do this, sir, may I respectfully suggest a full hearted commitment of the resources necessary to win?”

Yamamoto nodded. “Given the heavy losses to our carriers, that may not be easy—a tall order as you say. It was my plan to use Carrier Division 3, and then combine Carrier Divisions 1 and 2 for operations around Fiji. As for any invasion and subsequent occupation of Ceylon, that will depend greatly on the Army’s cooperation. Troop commitments are already strained, but something might be found. At the moment, your orders will be to sail for Singapore and rendezvous with Carrier Division 3. That group will be composed of the new fleet carrier Taiho, and light carriers Hiyo and Junyo. Between the three, there will be a little over 150 planes at Admiral Hara’s disposal, and he will be your commanding officer. Taiho is a new direction in carrier design. It has armored flight decks, and side armor as well. Our carriers are fast and efficient, but fragile. Taiho will correct that deficiency.”

“It was sunk by a single torpedo fired by an American submarine,” said Fukada, which gave Yamamoto pause.

“It is frustrating to hear such a thing,” he said. “The futility of everything I do now is made apparent to me each time you open your mouth!”

“Forgive me, sir. I say this only by way of warning, and in the hope that it will be something we can prevent. Taiho had a design flaw that failed to properly vent fumes from aviation gas. Her bomb and torpedo magazines were well protected, but there were empty spaces around the aviation gas bunkers, and fumes built up in those spaces. They should be filled with sand or concrete immediately. That would help eliminate the problem and also provide a splinter shield for those bunkers. Beyond that, damage control failures were the real reason for the carrier’s demise. A few of our engineers might be posted to that ship and help with that training. And with Takami present, our sonar will assure that submarine attack never takes place. Forewarned is forearmed, sir. That is all I was trying to convey.”

“Very well,” said Yamamoto, “as your foresight is so keen, then let me ask you another question. It concerns access to materials in your library.”

Harada did not know why, but that put him just a little on edge.

“What would you need, sir?”

“There is a program underway in certain research centers involving the use of these rocket motors. When you made that little demonstration off Davao, I was quite surprised, initially thinking it to be the fruits of this research. Surprise was not half a word for what I felt when you revealed the truth of your identity to me. You have showed me the end of the road we now walk with this war, and all in an effort to persuade me not to undertake this journey. As we have seen, events had a gravity of their own, and here we are. I do not think it will ever be possible to undo the steps we have already taken on this path. Once the order was given to Climb Mount Niitaka, our course was set. Yet the end I saw in the photographs from your library is too dark to contemplate. No sane man would ever wish to lead his nation to such a disaster. So now I ask you to help me reach a different end, and one that preserves the integrity of our nation, and spares our people the horrors I saw in your books and photographs.”

“We are willing to help in any way we can,” said Harada. It was a case of in for a penny, in for a pound, as the British might say.

“These rocket weapons you possess,” said Yamamoto, “are they clearly the future in terms of the projection of military power at sea?”

“A place remains for the aircraft carrier. That was proved here, and the United States continues to rely on carrier based air power even in our time. They use those planes to protect their ships, just as you do now, but if any get through, then medium to close range air defense is largely a case of missiles against planes, or other missiles, and certain powers now also see the missile as the only foil to carrier based naval supremacy.”

“Then you may already know that both Germany and Japan are working on these weapons now.”

“Yes sir, and we know the outcome of that research as well.”

Yamamoto nodded, a wry smile on his face. “How strange to think I hesitate briefly here to reveal what is now a military secret, for you are men who have seen the end of all these events. So you must certainly know that we have a weapon in development, a rocket powered craft we call the Okha.”

“Yes sir,” said Fukada. “However, it did not reach deployment until it was too late to make much difference in the outcome of the war. By then, the American carriers had decided the issue, and it was only a matter of time.”

“Time and that other terror weapon I saw images of over Hiroshima,” said Yamamoto. “Knowing that, I wish to find a way for our carriers to decide the issue here before that weapon makes the outcome of this war inevitable.”

“The American project that delivered that weapon is only now beginning in earnest,” said Fukada. “If the history we know is any guide, it will take them three years.”

Yamamoto considered that. “But if we achieve a decisive outcome here before that, perhaps the negotiated settlement you suggested to me might be possible.”

“That gets more and more unlikely with each battle fought,” said Harada.

“Then you believe there is no hope? How can I proceed here knowing that the sum of everything I do leads to defeat and the destruction of our nation?”

“Sir,” said the Captain, “Mister Fukada has just explained how the fate of the Taiho could be brightened considerably. In the same way, the future you saw in our library might still be avoided. Negotiations may still be possible, but to force the Americans to the table, we would have to demonstrate that a military victory would be impossible for the them to achieve.”

“Winning the battles we have just discussed would be a necessary first step,” said Fukada. “Yes, dominate the Indian Ocean, defeat the Americans on Fiji, occupy Samoa, destroy the last of the American fleet carriers. These things are still within your grasp now. You can still prevail, and we can help you. We could not defeat our enemy, but our ship can still tip the balance decisively in one more key engagement. Given that, it may be wise to consider another attack on Mizuchi.”

“But you have just told me you have no further offensive capability.”

“But you do, sir. Your carriers do, and if enough of them were grouped in one massive attack, you might get hits, and it will only take one or two to cause significant damage. Modern ships are not well armored. Their defense relies on missiles.”

“I see,” said Yamamoto. “Yet that would put every carrier I might assign to such a mission at risk. Surely that is the case in every operation of war, but Mizuchi seems to hit anything it fires at. Nagumo’s description of the death of Hiryu was none too pleasant.”

“They failed to hit Takami,” said Fukada. “And they tried thirteen times. In the same way, the missiles we still have could protect your carriers, and then it would be simply a matter of swarming the defender with as many planes as possible.”

“You are forgetting the speed demons,” said Harada, prompting Yamamoto to give him a quizzical look. “I’m sorry sir, but the last missile Mizuchi fired at us, the one I mentioned earlier, was very fast—twice the speed of the first twelve we defeated. The missiles we fired at it failed to acquire the target, and it was only our last ditch inner defense that scored the lucky hit. Yet if it had failed to do so, Takami would most likely have been sunk. If the enemy has more of these fast missiles, then our ability to defend your carriers may not be absolute.”

“True,” said Fukada, “but if we do not attack, and Takami expends its remaining missiles in other operations, then your chances of killing Mizuchi diminish considerably.”

“So you are saying we may have only one last chance,” said Yamamoto. “I understand. And if the enemy has more missiles than you believe, and they are these speed demons, as Captain Harada describes them, then what?”

Before Fukada could argue that away, Harada spoke up first. “If they were to fire a salvo of four or five such missiles, assuming they still had them, then we might get one of them, two at the most. The others would reach a target. And one thing more. This ship also carries torpedoes—533mm with a 300kg warhead capable of ranging out 50 kilometers. It also has another model that is one part rocket, and one part torpedo. It fires into the water, ignites its rocket engine while submerged, then emerges from the sea to approach the target. It can then deploy as a torpedo, or a depth charge in the sea, and that rocket extends the range to 120 kilometers.”

“Quite sobering,” said Yamamoto. “That is three times the maximum range of our Type 93 torpedoes. Hopefully it would miss at such a range. Our own units do not fire the Type 93 at its maximum range for that same reason.”

“Unfortunately, this torpedo will be much more accurate than your Type 93. It uses what we call inertial guidance, not the best way to find a target, but much better than anything used in this war. The fact that it closes most of the range as a rocket in the sky, is also a factor. Hopefully we might be able to shoot one down, unless it deploys into the sea again as a torpedo.”

Yamamoto nodded. “I will consider what you have said here. Risking the carriers also gambles with the edge we presently have relative to the Americans. They are the real enemy. I do not think Mizuchi could ever win the war against us, or that the Siberians could ever successfully invade Japan. As for the Americans….”

“Agreed, sir.” Harada decided not to speak of the possibility that Kirov harbored nuclear weapons. Instead he focused on the battle against the United States. “The next six to eight months will be decisive. Mizuchi certainly remains a threat, but for now, at this moment, the carriers still rule the Pacific. So fight your war as you would if our ship were never here, Admiral. Fight your war with those carriers, and win.”

Yamamoto nodded. “I thank you for your cooperation, and your enthusiasm, in spite of the recent setbacks. In considering that, I wish to ask one more thing. We know the Americans are building a new class of aircraft carrier. What can you tell me about this?”

“The Essex Class,” said Fukada. “Those ships will form the heart of the US naval force in this war. They are over 60 feet longer and wider abeam than the Yorktown Class, and much heavier at nearly 37,000 tons, full load. Later models will get even heavier, but they are still every bit as fast as Yorktown was at 32 knots. They will also have much better anti-aircraft defense, and over 60mm of armor on the main flight deck. These were fairly durable ships, with 100mm side armor as well. They also have an interesting innovation in the deployment of a deck-edge elevator in addition to two inboard elevators. But their real virtue is the air wing, at least 90 planes, and the Yorktown carried up to 110.”

“Yorktown? We sunk that ship.”

“They will rename many of their new Essex Class carriers after the ships they lost early in the war—Yorktown, Lexington, and Hornet will all sail again as new Essex Class carriers, and I suppose the Wasp, if you manage to sink that one.”

“All of them? How many of these carriers will they build?” asked Yamamoto.

“The first arrives this year, the Essex. In 1943, six more join the fleet, and in 1944 they will commission another seven, with at least three more ready in 1945…. Before the war ends, if it does end the way it did before.”

“Then they are presently building more carriers than we started the war with,” said Yamamoto.

“And that is just the Essex Class,” said Fukada.

“They will also deploy a light carrier, the Independence Class, ships that were converted from their Cleveland Class Cruisers. They will carry only 33 aircraft, but they will commission at least nine of those ships in 1943.”

“Bringing nearly 300 more enemy planes to sea,” said Yamamoto, somewhat discouraged. “This was my greatest fear, that tremendous industrial might of the United States. They will build new carriers faster than we can sink them!”

“Unfortunately, sir, I must regretfully report that not one of the Essex Class Carriers were sunk in the war. Many were hit and damaged, but none sunk.”

“Yet that history may not repeat,” said Harada. “You have already inflicted more losses on the American Carrier fleet than occurred in the history we know. At the moment, the Americans remain very vulnerable.”

“But six months from now they should have at least three new Essex Class carriers,” Fukada warned, “and five of the smaller Independence Class.” He wanted no misunderstanding as to what may be coming.

“So in that time they will replace all their losses,” said Yamamoto, “and they will match our fleet carrier for carrier, including the ships we presently have nearing completion. This is exactly what I feared, and why I had to go to the Emperor to request we activate the emergency fleet expansion program. We call it the shadow fleet, and phase one of this program was already activated in 1940, for many of our own carriers were converted from battlecruisers, seaplane tenders and even fast tankers or ocean liners. All three ships in the Tosa Class were once battlecruisers, and now I must share yet another state secret with you. The Tosa Class battlecruisers were not the only hulls completed for new ships of that nature. Four hulls were laid down in our Amagi Class, and two hulls in the Kii Class. Only two of those six ships were ever commissioned as actual battlecruisers, our Amagi and Kagami, but the other hulls have been fitted out with propulsion systems, and all the interior spaces are completed—except they were not designed as battlecruisers, but carriers.”

“You mean you have other carriers in the pipeline?”

“Correct. We can build a carrier on one of those four hulls twice as fast as we might build a battlecruiser or battleship. Even the third of the Yamato Class hulls was converted to build a carrier under this program, the largest in the world when it is completed—Shinano. We also have several smaller carriers in the shadow fleet program, conversions from fast liners and such.”

“Will any be ready soon?”

“Not soon enough, as far as my needs are concerned. Here we are discussing how to manage a war on three fronts, and there will never be enough carriers to go around. We are fortunate that the design of Taiho was accelerated before the war, and I suppose we still have the battleship proponents to thank for the innovations in that ship. We will take your advice concerning those empty spaces around the aviation fuel bunkers, and better damage control. As for the bigger hulls now under conversion, the two ships in the Amagi Class will be the first to appear, perhaps within six to eight months if the resources can be found. We have named them Mikasa and Shirane. Much effort is being made to complete Shinano as well.”

“Interesting…. That ship was not ordered converted to a carrier until the Midway disaster,” said Fukada. “Nor was Taiho built this early. In fact, it was the need for more toughness and durability at sea that led to the ideas put into that carrier. Very strange.”

“I won a few arguments in 1940,” said Yamamoto. “That is why we even have these abandoned hulls intact for these projects. As for toughness, the side armor was already there for Mikasa and Shirane when they were laid down as battlecruisers. The armored deck idea was taken from the British when we obtained the plans for their Illustrious Class carriers. Frankly, if I had my way I would gladly trade this massive battleship we stand on now, and its sister ship Musashi, for two more fleet carriers. The loss of both Zuikaku and Shokaku has set us back a great deal. It seems I have avoided this Midway disaster you speak of, but the 5th of May in the Koro Sea was a hard day for us. Believe me, our shipyards have been very busy ever since that day.”

“Let us hope you can produce these ships in time,” said Harada.

“Alright, gentlemen, I see now what we are up against, and what you say is true, the next six to eight months will be the crucial time. If we do not prevail now, then it may not matter whether Shinano and other conversion programs like Shirane ever set sail. We still have five fleet carriers, and they have only two. Now is the time to win this war, and you can do your part in the Indian Ocean.”

“Sir, when would you want this operation to begin?”

“Not for some time. The fleet is reorganizing along the lines we have discussed. Take your ship to Davao. A tanker will be waiting off shore for you to refuel. From there you will proceed to Singapore. The ash from that volcano is still a persistent haze in that region. It has been erupting off and on for months, so have a care. The Sunda Strait is still a very dangerous place. Once you arrive, refuel again and wait for Admiral Hara’s task force. He will transmit your orders at that time.”

The meeting ended on a high note, for all present could still take some solace from their superiority in carrier numbers. But their calculus was already off, for even as they spoke, the USS Essex was slipping out to sea on her maiden voyage. It was not supposed to be commissioned until December of 1942, reaching the Pacific in July after an extensive series of sea trials. But many things in the history were askew, and the Essex program was also accelerated. The need being so great, the ship was already enroute to the Pacific, and so the four carriers Yamamoto hoped to challenge the Americans with off Fiji, might soon be facing three on the American side. Yet no one knew that when the meeting ended.

They would know it soon enough.

Part XVII

Operation C

“Clever archers who, designing to hit the mark which yet appears too far distant, and knowing the limits to which the strength of their bow attains, take aim much higher than the mark… to be able with the aid of so high an aim to hit the mark they wish to reach.”

— Niccolo Machiavelli

Chapter 49

The plans that then developed from the meeting between Yamamoto and the officers off the Takami were clearly aimed at finding the strategy that would win the war, achieving some decisive advantage in the time frame Harada had put forward. They had six to eight months to prevent any US counteroffensive from gaining traction in 1943. With winter coming, Yamamoto ordered all his fleet carriers to leave the Home Islands and muster at Truk. He wanted them as far from the unseen raider in the Siberian north as possible. The Siberians would be opposed by the Army and air force instead, and no longer challenged at sea. All remaining carrier power would be concentrated in the South Pacific, and the Indian Ocean operation.

Now Yamamoto took stock of the forces he might have available. The 2nd Infantry Division, savaged by the eruption at Krakatoa, was slowly being rebuilt from new conscripts in Japan for anticipated operations in the south. One regiment was being built in Nasu, another at Sato, and the third at Fukushima. With the 48th Division already committed to Fiji, if the Ceylon operation should ever materialize, it would be given to the 5th Division, which was still a strong two regiment nucleus that could receive replacements and become a full triangular division, though it would never again be the powerful force it was as a square division under Yamashita. The Battle at Tengah Airfield on Singapore had killed many of its toughest veteran troops.

If necessary, General Nishimura stated that he would consider releasing one regiment of the Imperial Guards for deployment on Ceylon after it was taken, but only if the Army could not make a similar force available at Rangoon from the troops already committed to the Burma campaign.

All in all, Japan now bet its fortunes on the outcome of these crucial operations in the south. The additional land territory they might take was minimal, but the strategic windfall in being able to control the sea lanes of the Indian Ocean, and in isolating Australia from the US, would be significant if they could be achieved. Everything would be risked on achieving that outcome, but the one factor the planners were leaving out of their thinking, the sea monster they had come to call Mizuchi, would still remain a dangerous wildcard.

Yet Yamamoto was a realist, and the images he had seen in the library aboard Takami still haunted him. He was well aware that other staff officers at Imperial General Headquarters thought that even the push into the Solomons was an overextension of Japan’s military capabilities. Now, to add the Indian Ocean as an objective seemed an even greater reach. So we will simply aim higher, he thought.

To win in the south he had to first secure Fiji, and that could only be done if he achieved decisive naval superiority there. If he could not do that, then the Americans would have a strong base to organize further offensives into the Solomons, or against the French New Hebrides. He knew that New Caledonia, and particularly the major port there at Noumea, was a two-edged sword. On the one hand, it thrust like a dagger between Fiji and Australia, but if Fiji were to fall, it would then be subject to attack from both those enemy camps.

Australia was also of great concern, for in it the Allies possessed what appeared to be an unassailable anvil upon which to forge their weapons of war. The vast Pacific Ocean offered endless sea lanes. Though it would take much longer, American convoys could venture deep into the South Pacific if they had to, and approach New Zealand from the southeast. In time, they would still get enough troops, supplies and equipment to Australia and New Zealand to pose an offensive threat.

In the north, though New Guinea had been mostly cleared of enemy presence, there was still a nest at Milne Bay that had to be taken, and the Port of Darwin on the North coast might be used as a base for a thrust into the Arafura or Banda Seas. That would be possible only if the enemy achieved naval superiority, but he had to always keep it in the back of his mind. Perhaps he should take Admiral Hara’s advice, and permit him to make a landing at Darwin, anchoring the defense there instead of at Dili on the Island of Timor.

Then there were the British, who had a division at Perth to use if they should want to strike at the barrier islands again. That was why he decided to send Harada and his ship into the Indian Ocean. If Hara’s carriers could defeat the British squadron, and occupy Ceylon, any threat from the British would be completely neutralized. And then, there was always the possibility that the Americans might use their base at Hawaii to strike directly into the Marshalls, or attempt to retake Wake Island. From those bases they could attack the Marianas, and such a strategy would completely bypass the Solomons, New Hebrides and New Guinea. That was what they actually did in those books the Admiral reviewed. And then there was the problem on Karafuto Island, where the Siberians had been stopped by the Japanese 7th Division, but still represented a serious danger.

So many threats, from so many directions, and the defense rested primarily with the navy. At first glance, it seemed that all the dramatic gains achieved in 1942 were war winners, but Yamamoto knew that even his face cards could be taken by the enemy trump cards. Yet ‘life was not a matter of holding good cards,’ said Robert Louis Stevenson, ‘but of playing a poor hand well.’ Yamamoto was considering how to play out the hand he now held to win this game, and it was time to lead. He wanted no shadow over his shoulder when he finally turned to face the Americans again.

* * *

In the high summer of 1942, Great Britain, which had stood alone in the west since the fall of France, at last had a powerful Ally in the United States. In spite of that, the British Empire still remained under grave threat, and Churchill could see shadows everywhere he looked. The German Occupation of Norway, with their new major base at Nordstern, was a constant threat to the northern seas, and served to sever the line of communications to Soviet Russia at Murmansk. The U-Boat threat was at its height, making cross Atlantic communications with the US precarious. Britain’s Pacific holdings, chiefly Hong Kong and Singapore, had been smashed and occupied by Japan, and now the Japanese were in Burma.

In this light, the British occupation of Madagascar, taken from the French in May of 1942 in this history, and its strong presence on Ceylon at Colombo were now the two bastions of power aimed at securing lines of communications through the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal. Those lines reached out to Australia and New Zealand, and had once linked India with the Empire’s Pacific holdings before the war. Now they served commercial shipping to ports like Madras, Calcutta and Bombay, where the Jewel of Britain’s occidental empire, India, was slowly coming under increasing threat from the Japanese.

The brief but violent British assault on French held Madagascar had taken place right on schedule, between the 5th and 7th of May. As such, it was eclipsed by the far larger battle off Fiji then underway, and the decisive collision in the Koro Sea. Yet for the British, seizing Madagascar was of great significance. It was one of two vital possessions Vichy France held that the Allies dearly coveted, the other being the New Hebrides.

“We already know what the French have suggested,” said Churchill to Brooke when the matter had come up. “They’ll go so far as to hand the entire island right over to the Japanese. Then what? From there they will have cut us off from Ceylon and India, and if they take that naval base, they can put bombers on Durban, and stop every last convoy we send around the Cape. It would be a disaster of the first order, so that place simply must be taken. I don’t care how we do it, or where the troops come from. You must find them, and carry it off like a thief in the night before the Japanese realize what they’ve lost.”

Brooke handed the matter to Tovey for the naval arm, and he teed up Illustrious and Indomitable with 82 planes to cover the operation. He then scraped up the 29th Independent Brigade, the 13th and 17th Brigades of 5th Division, the 7th South African and Rhodesian 27th Brigades. Number 5 Commando would be on the cutting edge of the attack. This was a force of some 15,000 troops against the French garrison of 8,000 troops and six tanks, with 32 antiquated planes.

The landings had occurred at the northernmost tip of the island where the vital protective Diego Suarez Bay provided one of the best anchorages in the Indian Ocean. The 29th Brigade was the hammer that struck that anvil, with the other British forces following later. The action in the north was a great success, and though low level fighting continued for the next 45 days, Churchill had Madagascar, and saw it as a great outer bulwark protecting the vital Cape Town region.

When ULTRA intercepts indicated that the enemy was now planning a sortie into the Indian Ocean, it was therefore cause for some alarm in Whitehall. It was clear what their objective might be—Ceylon. If japan were to take that, they could use it to base aircraft, naval units and submarines that could pose a threat as far away as the Persian Gulf and Red Sea. Beyond that, Ceylon was also a source of over 90% of Britain’s rubber, and it would produce 60% of the rubber all the Allied powers used, a resource that was much needed in wartime. All those tires on trucks and planes needed it, and it had many other wartime applications. Ceylon was also a major producer of tea, and that, too was a vital resource insofar as the British were concerned.

Yet for all that virtue, Ceylon’s liability was that it could not produce enough food to feed its local population. As Hara’s carriers headed west, there was no more than 14 days supply of rice on the Island, and the island needed to import over half a million tons of rice per year. Some of it came from India, more from the Middle East, and that meant the waters around the island were full of merchant shipping on those thin, highly vulnerable sea lanes. The Japanese knew this, and therefore one of Vice Admiral Ozawa’s chief objectives, in addition to screening Hara’s carriers, was to seek out and destroy merchant shipping off the coast of India.

And so just one brief look at a single piece of the great puzzle that had been the British Empire, was quite revealing. This piece was particularly important, for it connected directly to great segments of the puzzle on either side, the Australian and New Zealand Commonwealth to the east, and India to the north. Remove it from British control, and a deadly gap appeared in the puzzle that could only be filled again by fire, steel, and blood. In many ways, it was more strategic then Malta was in the Med, or even Gibraltar, and perhaps even the equal of the Suez Canal in terms of importance to that theater. Churchill himself commented that the approach of Japanese naval units to Ceylon filled him with dread.

“The most dangerous moment of the War, and the one which caused me the greatest alarm, was when the Japanese Fleet was heading for Ceylon and the naval base there. The capture of Ceylon, the consequent control of the Indian Ocean, and the possibility at the same time of a German conquest of Egypt would have closed the ring and the future would have been black.”

British power to protect and secure the vital resources and lines of communication flowing through Ceylon now rested on Somerville’s Indian Ocean Squadron, three carriers, three old battleships, three heavy cruisers and a few other light cruisers and destroyers. After watching the Japanese destroy Pearl Harbor, seize the Philippines, Malaya, Singapore, the Dutch East Indies, New Guinea, push boldly into the Solomons and all the way to Fiji, Churchill had every reason to be fearful with the coming of this news.

In early July, he had very little to defend that island. He had pleaded with Prime Minister Curtin to allow him to keep two regiments of the Australian 6th Division there, but the loss of Port Moresby and the brief Japanese air raid on Port Darwin had ended any hope of achieving that. So it was then down to the British 34th Indian Division, reinforced earlier that year with the arrival of the 16th British Regiment, and the HQ and 21st Regiment of the 11th East African Division. A few security battalions had been raised among the locals, but that was it, with service troops in the two major ports, some AA guns and radar crews.

A squadron of Blenheim bombers arrived at Colombo from Greece, and was operating at the improved airfield at Ratmalana with a squadron of Fulmars. Two squadrons of Hurricanes came all the way from North Africa to China Bay at Trincomalee, where the racecourse had been converted to a makeshift airfield. At Trincomalee, or ‘Trinco’ as the British called it, the posh country club, became a headquarters; the tennis courts were used to grow vegetables, and the Cricket Fields and club became the domain of the R.A.F pilots. On the southern tip of the island, a small lake at Koggala was a perfect basing spot for Catalina search planes. Up on Adams Peak east of Colombo, one of the highest in the central island mountains, the British had deployed an air search radar set to sweep the seas in all directions around the island.

There, an imprint in a boulder was said to be the left footprint of the Buddha itself. The Hindus claimed it was the footprint of Lord Shiva, the Muslims that of Adam. Others said it was the tread of the god Saman, the deity of the rising sun, and so all these legends made the place a sacred site that drew many pilgrims in better times. Now it was the searching eye and ears of the Royal Navy, for this time, a different rising sun was coming to Ceylon with Admiral Hara’s 3rd Carrier Division.

As on Singapore, rumors of impending doom began to spread. The locals had all heard what happened in Hong Kong, of the Chinese massacred at Singapore and other tales of Japanese atrocities. Many were already heading for the highland, thinking it would be a sanctuary in the event the Japanese invaded. The exodus from the coastal areas was so pronounced, that the ship repair company at Colombo, which normally employed 3600 locals, suddenly found that only 76 showed up for work. Fear was a toxin that could spread faster than Malaria, but it may have been well justified.

The Japanese were coming, and with some of the very best troops in the army, the survivors of numerous campaigns in China, Malaya and the costly battle for Singapore. The 11th Regiment of the 5th Division was already boarding the transports at Singapore, and the clock was ticking.

Somerville was not enthusiastic about his chances. He knew that the Japanese were masters of naval air operations involving carriers, and that their planes were in many ways superior to those on his own ships. He had a small outpost at Port Blair on Andaman Island that he hoped to use as a trip wire to alert him to the Japanese attack when it came. When communications were suddenly lost with that outpost, he knew the storm was coming, and gave the order for his squadron to assemble in two flotillas, one fast and one slow.

The fleet footed carriers would be his sword, and the lumbering battleships his shield. He gave some thought to simply sending those battleships west out of harm’s way, to Addu, but discarded it thinking he would need every ship he could get his hands on. If Prince of Wales had met her fate off Malaya as it did in Fedorov’s history, he might have thought twice about sending his fleet out to face the Japanese naval aviators.

But that had never happened….

Chapter 50

That meeting with Yamamoto at Truk had occurred on the 30th of June, and Takami lingered there for several more weeks. Taiho was commissioned, but still cutting her teeth in the waters off the Philippines, working in the new equipment, pilots and planes During this period, Takami sortied once with Carrier Division 1 to help cover a supply run to Fiji. Fukada had hoped they might encounter the Americans, but that operation was unopposed. On the 15th of August, Admiral Hara informed Yamamoto that he was now prepared to head south to rendezvous with the remainder of his new 3rd Carrier Division and other fleet units.

Takami departed for Singapore, arriving there on September 15th after a stop at Davao. They tried to be discreet. Anchoring several kilometers off the island, but the local commander, the irascible General Nishimura, took a personal interest. He had a launch approach the ship, and a message was delivered, inviting the ship’s Captain and Executive Officer to dinner ashore in Singapore. To decline such an invitation would be a serious affront, and knowing that Yamamoto was relying on Nishimura to provide troops for the Ceylon Operation, Harada agreed.

“Sit down, gentlemen,” said Nishimura. “Please excuse the gloomy weather. Yet the cooler summer caused by all that ash and soot in the sky has at least given us some relief from the heat.”

“Thank you, General, you are most gracious.”

“I had hoped to see Admiral Hara at this dinner, but it seems he is still rounding up carriers and battleships. I understand that he will have our newest carrier, Taiho.”

“Yes sir. At least we were told that by Admiral Yamamoto.”

“You spoke with him personally?”

“He was kind enough to brief us and relay our orders.”

“I see… Tell me, Captain, is it true that the Siberians have invaded Karafuto?”

“Yes sir, they have.”

“Most astounding. I’m sure that will be on Yamashita’s plate soon. Let us hope he does a better job than he did during this campaign.”

“Taking all of Malaya in five weeks wasn’t good enough?” Harada smiled. There was something about this man that he did not like, but he kept those feelings as opaque as possible.

“Singapore is part of Malaya, is it not?” said Nishimura. “In fact, it was the only part that really mattered. I took that for the Empire after Yamashita failed. It was no surprise to me when he was relieved here, and I was given command in his place. Now the city is well in hand. I have rooted out most of the undesirables, particularly the Chinese, and things are running smoothly again.”

“Things seemed to be in order,” said Harada, his smile a bit thinner.

“I have also heard you have a most unusual ship.”

“Oh? Not really. It is a prototype heavy destroyer, with our very best new radar sets.”

“And more,” said Nishimura. “Don’t think I have not heard all the talk about rocketry.”

“Yes, those are prototype weapons as well, but if you will excuse me, we are not permitted to discuss them. I’m sure you will understand.”

“Of course.” It was enough for Nishimura that the existence of such weapons was confirmed. Now he wanted to see what this operation would require of him. “Good that you were in the right place at the right time to rescue general Imamura. He still speaks highly of you. Now I understand you will be heading into the Indian Ocean—a very good idea. There isn’t much threat the British can pose now, not with the Air Force posting strike planes here on my airfields. Yet the British cannot be left to ripen out west. Soon the stench will begin to blow this way. It is about time Yamamoto decided to go and prune the tree.”

“Yes sir,” said Harada.

“Then you will attack their bases on Ceylon?”

“Sir, Admiral Hara will have been fully briefed on this operation, and he will have orders for us when he arrives here. I am only a Captain.” Harada thought he had better say as little as possible.

“Well, I am a General,” said Nishimura. “You see, the Navy needs me to provide troops for this operation, and so I already know a good deal.”

“Probably more than we know, sir. Care to enlighten us?”

Nishimura smiled. “Attacking Ceylon is certainly the mission. What else? So I will provide two regiments of my 5th Infantry Division, and hold a regiment of my Imperial Guards in reserve. They were the heroes of Singapore, under my personal command, I might add.”

“Most extraordinary, sir. A lot has been said about them.”

“Oh? What is going around?”

“Why, in the operations up north, the troops of the 7th Division were told to remember what happened here, and how your troops crushed the last of the enemy resistance.” Harada was, of course, buttering the General’s bread, even if none was being served that evening.

“Indeed? Well that is very true.” This one is sly, thought Nishimura. He is clearly trying to say as little as possible about this ship, the Takami, or so I am told. No one seems to have heard anything about such a ship before it appeared. Most interesting. It seems Yamamoto keeps a few flowers hidden in his garden these days. After the loss of so many carriers, he has every need to be cautious.

“So the newest carrier, and your ship, will join our two newest battleships. I was told to expect Satsuma and Hiraga here in three days. Yamamoto must be very serious about this campaign. There is only one thing I cannot seem to understand. Your ship was up north with those battleships, neh? And I believe there were two fleet carriers out to sea with you as well. How is it nothing came of that?”

Harada had no idea where this man was getting his information, or what he might have heard. “I don’t understand,” he said. “We were to cover the transfer of reserve units to Karafuto, and that mission was completed.”

“Yes, but not without incident. Didn’t Hiraga take damage in that operation?”

“If I may, sir, how is it that an Army General knows so many things about naval operations?”

Nishimura inclined his head. That skirted the border of impertinence. “It may interest you to know that I am being considered for a higher position on the Imperial General Headquarters. I must therefore keep abreast of more things than the number of Chinese heads I take here each day.” He smiled, but behind it was the tension of a look that said ‘don’t question me like that again.’

“Of course,” said Harada.

“May I ask if you have heard anything concerning this rogue Siberian vessel in the north. The name Mizuchi is being spoken even here, and in fearful whispers.”

“Respectfully, sir, I was told to discourage such rumors by the Admiral.”

“Of course,” said Nishimura, a little mocking echo of what Harada had said a moment earlier. “However, rumors do not compel the fleet admiral to pull all his most important ships out of the home waters, do they? I think there is more to these stories than the wild imaginations of sailors in the bars of Yokohama. Very well, I see that dinner is being served. Let us enjoy the meal, and talk again after. Would you be interested in a tour of the island? I can certainly arrange that.”

“You are most kind,” said Harada, “but I have pressing business aboard ship.” And no, there won’t be a tour arranged for you there, he thought. That’s what this one was angling for. He’s heard something, and more than he should. Either that, or interests on the Imperial General Staff have contacted him and asked him to go fishing here with this little dinner party. I must be very cautious.

Throughout this exchange, Fukada remained discretely silent, but he could easily perceive the polite thrust and parry in the conversation, and he knew enough to stay out of it. If asked a direct question, he would speak, but otherwise, his was to be a quiet presence, but one without opinions. Deference to the Captain was expected, and he knew how to play the part.

At that moment, and half way through the dinner, there came a quiet but persistent knock on the door. Nishimura turned his head with a look of displeasure. “What is it?”

A man entered, walking quickly up to the General and handing him a slip of paper, which Nishimura read silently. “Well,” he said. “It seems we have an uninvited guest tonight. An enemy submarine has attacked a supply ship in the Strait of Malacca. Kasigi Maru has been hit!”

Harada stood up immediately. Bowing as he did so. “General, I thank you for your hospitality, but it is clear that I have urgent business to attend to. Mister Fukada, we must depart for Takami immediately.”

Urgent business indeed, thought Nishimura. See what you find out there, Captain, because this message was, of course, pre-arranged. I’ve had my time with you, and I see that you are just another tight lipped Navy man, most likely thick with Yamamoto if he entrusts you with this mission. You will find nothing, for there is no submarine, nor any ship by the name of Kasigi Maru. Let us see how you like chasing after ships no one has heard of.

He smiled, then turned to an aid waiting quietly by the door. “Bring my pen and paper. I must draft a special message to go out in a secure pouch on the next plane north.”

That message would be sent to the Imperial General Staff, and was also a pre-arranged code, just a single kanji character that read “Sakura,” the word for Cherry Blossoms. Only one man would understand what it meant—that the ship Nishimura had been told to look for and report on was there at Singapore.

Nishimura was not the only one interested in the doings of that ship. The Imperial General Headquarters was also curious, particularly one Hajime Sugiyama, Chief of Staff. It was a ship, he was told, that had already demonstrated the ability to fire and use rocket weapons similar to the secret ‘Project Okha’, or Cherry Blossom. There was a great deal of rivalry between the Army and Navy, and Sujiyama wanted to know everything he could about the rumors now circulating—of a ship called Mizuchi, of battles fought in the Sea of Okhotsk, and of a ship named Takami that appeared nowhere on the official register of commissioned vessels in the Navy.

Yes, he was most curious.

* * *

When they returned to Takami, Harada and Fukada went straight to the bridge, immediately checking sonar and radar stations for any reports. There was nothing out of the ordinary.

“We have what looks like a small commercial freighter in the Strait of Malacca,” said Ryoko Otani, the Lieutenant on the SPY-1 System. “I’ve tracked them heading southeast around Pulau Sugi, and into the South China Sea.”

“Probably supplies for the forces still at Palembang on Sumatra,” said Fukada. “Those airfields have been abandoned due to the heavy ashfall, but the garrison left there still has to eat.”

“Ensign Shiota,” said Harada. “Have you been monitoring local signals traffic here?”

“Yes sir, but there’s been nothing unusual.”

“No S.O.S. or distress calls of any kind on the military channels? Nothing from a ship designated Kasigi Maru?”

“No sir, nothing.”

“Look that ship up in the WWII ship registry.”

A moment later Shiota reported that there was no ship by that name. “I’ve got a Kasi Maru, Hasuga Maru, Kage Maru, Kasato Maru, but no Kasigi. That oiler that serviced us was the Kuroshio Maru. Could that be it, sir?”

Harada gave Fukada a look. “What do you make of this?”

“The General seems to have been pulling our leg.”

“Yes, but I wonder why? Was he just irritated that I wouldn’t say anything about the ship or the operation?”

“Anybody’s guess, sir. He was a sly bastard, that much was certain.”

“Right,” said Harada. “Finished his little interview and then got rid of us…. But if that is so, the messenger thing had to be all pre-arranged.”

“It seems that way, sir.”

Harada filed that away mentally, with a note to be extra cautious with Nishimura in the future. He thought about reporting the incident to Yamamoto, but it sounded too trivial to bother the Fleet Admiral with something like that. Yet it was clear to him that the General had gone on a little fishing expedition, and that was grounds for some discomfort.

Three days later they picked up two contacts at 18 knots rounding the cape and entering the Singapore Strait, and they were not commercial ships. Two grey sisters emerged from the low rolling fog in the strait, and the bridge crew finally got a close look at the new battleship class they had fought with up north, but never really got close enough to see.

“Beautiful beasts,” said Harada, his eyes lost in his field glasses. “They look a lot like the old American Iowa class in profile, clipper bow, built for speed, and triple turrets.”

“Ships that never were,” said Fukada. “You won’t find them in the WWII ship registry database either. That has to be Satsuma and Hiraga.”

“Then Admiral Hara can’t be far behind with the carriers.”

He arrived two days later, on the 18th of September, in a well escorted group that now hove to in the strait off Bantam Island, about 30 kilometers south of the main city of Singapore. Hara wanted no prying eyes noting his ship types, and planned to transit the Singapore Strait the following day, after the oiler Kuroshio Maru serviced ships needing to refuel. There was Japan’s newest carrier, the Taiho, looking very much like the one that had entered service much later in the war by that same name.

“Strange how the history here rhymes,” said Harada.

“The Great Phoenix,” said Fukada, looking at the ship with equally great interest and admiration. “That one is over 37,000 tons out there, but it could still make 33 knots if this one is anything like the original design. It was supposed to have belt armor up to 152mm, and two armored decks. I just hope they filled those voids around the aviation fuel bunkers. Look at those guns. We’ve got that single 127mm deck gun forward, well that baby has twelve 100mm guns, dual purpose, though they were really there for air defense. And she’s supposed to have over fifty 25mm guns as well, on seventeen triple mounts. That’s a lot of lead when they get to firing.”

“I’ll still put my money on the SM-2,” said Harada. “The enemy plane will be killed long before the pilot gets anywhere near us. I just wish I had a whole lot more than we’re still packing under that forward deck.” They had expended one on that target drone, two more against the American B-17s, and 33 in the battle against Mizuchi. He had 38 left, and 12 more SM-3s. So Takami could take down 50 enemy planes before they would be forced to rely on their close in defense Phalanx guns. Available rounds for those wouldn’t take them very far, and then all Harada’s bets were off, and those fifty 25mm AA gun barrels on the Taiho would be looking pretty good to him.

“Aye sir,” said Fukada.

“Looks a lot like the British Illustrious Class.”

“I think they may have taken a leaf from their book. Remember, a lot of early navy ships were built by the Brits, way back at the turn of the century. Admiral Togo’s ship, the Mikasa, was a modified Formidable Class battleship of the Royal Navy.”

“Those other two smaller carriers must be the Hiyo and Junyo. Can they keep up with us?”

“Hiyo was built on the hull of an old ocean liner,” said Fukada. “That’s her there, the Flying Hawk, and it will make a hair over 25 knots, and carry over 48 planes. Junyo there, with the oddly bent stack on the island, was built the same way. The Peregrine Falcon will have roughly the same stats as Hiyo, and these conversions were just finished recently, at least in our history. Looks like Yamamoto is debuting a brand new carrier division here, and herding all the older girls off for his Fiji operations.”

“Seems that way. Well, we’d better look after this bunch. Yamamoto was more than a little edgy over the losses to his fleet carriers. He’s already taken as much damage as the Americans inflicted on him at Midway, and that battle never happened. Isn’t this Indian Ocean raid a little late?”

“It was supposed to have been staged late March to mid-April,” said Fukada, “a little Easter Sunday surprise for the British.”

“You were pretty blunt with Yamamoto, particularly concerning the Taiho.”

“He needs to know what could happen,” said Fukada. “Our presence here, if anything, has to be about steering a course around the icebergs that sunk us.”

“Icebergs? In the Pacific?” Harada smiled. “The only one we really need to worry about is still up north.”

“How can we know that?”

“We can’t, really, but it’s a fairly good bet that this Karpov will continue to cover his Sakhalin Operation.”

“You mean Karafuto,” Fukada corrected. “I guess we’d best be thinking about it from the Japanese perspective these days.”

“Well, Karpov has a few more months to lay in a store of supplies on that island to sustain his garrison there over the winter. From what I can gather, we moved fresh troops there as well.”

“I spoke with Ugaki briefly while we were waiting,” said Fukada. “He says that they’ve been making night runs from Sapporo and Ominato. They run up the eastern side of Hokkaido, reaching Karafuto after dark, where they can unload and slip away. If anything has to go by day, they throw up a fairly thick air cover. Frankly, I don’t think Karpov can really mess with those operations. He can try standing off and using a missile or two, but the Empire has a hell of a lot more transport ships than he has missiles.”

“Right,” said Harada. “His primary threat is to important capital ships the Navy needs to sustain operations. That’s why Yamamoto pulled all the best ships south. He was counting on us taking Mizuchi out, and when we let him down, that was his only smart option.”

“If we had coordinated better we might have gotten that bastard.”

“I’m not so sure. It was all going to come down to those eight SSMs we threw at him. Maybe if we did have four fleet carriers, and they threw a couple hundred planes at Kirov, then one of our missiles might have had a better chance to get through. Yamamoto was correct, two carriers were not enough, and we botched the one good chance we had.”

“So how will we operate now?” asked Fukada. “What would you do?”

“Me? If he’s got a head on his shoulders, and I think he does, then he knows he’s really a lone shark when it comes right down to it. He’s a sea wolf, and that’s how I would sail that ship. Look, they have to know the history every bit as well as we do. It shouldn’t be hard for them to find out from signals traffic what the Japanese Navy is up to down here. So that’s where I’d be, skulking about like a wolf at the edge of a herd. I’d leave commercial shipping alone, unless I could get hard ID on troop transports. But better yet, I’d hunt Japanese carriers. That’s where this war will be won or lost. Yamamoto still has an edge. He knows that and he’s husbanding his resources here in the south and hoping he can dominate the waters around Fiji now. If I were this Karpov, that’s where I’d be, and soon.”

“And how do we operate?”

“Well,” said Harada. “We’re one toothless wolf now, but at least we can still bark. Face it, we’re a sheepdog now. Our job here is to spot the enemy with that SPY-1 system, and cry wolf. If they throw planes at us that look like they can do harm, then we take them down, while we can. I’ll be stingy with the missiles, but if we get pressed hard, I’m ready to use them.”

“Don’t sell the Japanese Zero short,” said Fukada. “Those carriers out their can defend themselves, and the British better know it.”

Chapter 51

That evening they had the pleasure of taking a trip over to the Taiho for the final mission briefing. There they met the bull necked Admiral Hara, and Captain Ichibei Yokokawa, former commander of the carrier Zuikaku. Kurita was also there, commanding the battleship squadron, and he gave them both a dark glance, still smoldering with inner anger over what had happened during the last operation. He still burned with shame, for instead of leading this attack, he was now subordinated to Admiral Hara. This was, in his mind, what he deserved by abdicating his own authority and listening to the advice of these two new officers, men he had never heard of before, but apparently men who were also close to Yamamoto. Yet that did not mean he had to like them, and he didn’t, blaming them in part for his own perceived failure.

The Captains off Satsuma and Hiraga, and the other carriers were also present. Decked out now in official period Navy uniforms provided to them by Yamamoto, Harada and Fukada fit right in, but Harada had told his XO to say nothing unless spoken to directly. They would play the part of the dutiful officers now, there to receive orders, and not plan operations.

Hara told the assembly that Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa was presently in the Mergui Archipelago, a group of islands off the coast of the northern Malay Peninsula, about 200 nautical miles southwest of Bangkok. The navy had moved in a squadron of long range torpedo bombers there at Bangkok, the plane the Allies called the “Nell,” and they could serve in bot a recon and strike role.

“Ozawa has the four cruisers of Kurita’s old 7th Division,” he said, Kumano, Suzuya, Mogami and Mikuma. That last ship is fitted out with our latest search radar, capable of seeing planes out to 90 kilometers, or ships at sea 18 kilometers away. Ozawa also has destroyer Division 17 with him, and this entire force will be designated the northern scouting detachment, also tasked with attacking any enemy commercial shipping encountered.”

Now he looked to Kurita, cleverly giving him face as he continued. “Vice Admiral Kurita has been promoted to commander of the fast battleship squadron, and he will accompany my carriers in support. Where would you prefer to position your ships?”

Kurita knew where he would prefer them, well out in front, but he had been ordered by Yamamoto to stay very close to the carriers, where his armor and AA defense would provide them with good cover. While Yamamoto did not expect to encounter an enemy using naval rockets here, he nonetheless wanted Kurita to begin adopting this tactical deployment, as it would now become the primary role for his fast battleships—defense of the carriers.

“I will be cruising right with you, sir, with one battleship off your port quarter, and the other to starboard.”

“Very well, Taiho will be honored to have such a strong escort.” He offered a shallow bow. “As for the new ship, Takami, it will be an advanced radar picket, also fitted out with our very latest equipment. Its mission is to report enemy contacts directly to me so that we may take appropriate offensive action.”

Now Harada offered a shallow bow in confirmation of those orders. He could still feel Kurita’s eyes on him, and did not speak, knowing he should not presume to stand with the Admirals.

“A small detachment of SNLF troops has already gone forward under cover of this weather to land at the enemy outpost of Port Blair on the lower Andaman Islands. They may have scout planes there, so it must be taken. We should arrive in time to cover that operation, and then, once the area is secure, the transports will follow us, and we will proceed to Ceylon for the main landings. Any questions?”

There were none, and so Hara continued. “It is just over a thousand sea miles to the Andaman Islands from here. I propose to cruise at 18 knots and therefore arrive within 60 hours, on the 24th of September. Once Port Blair is secured, it is then another 800 sea miles to our planned strike position off Southern Ceylon—a little under 48 hours sailing time. I presume we can be there by the 28th of September, with our primary mission being to neutralize any enemy naval forces, and to bomb their airfields and prevent them from interfering with our landings. Covering the transports will be a primary part of this operation. The landings will be scheduled for the period September 28 thru October 1st, depending on events. The entire operation should conclude by October 15th.”

That was a lot to bite off and chew, thought Fukada, though he said nothing, being the most junior officer present. Afterwards, when they were back on the launch heading for Takami, he expressed doubts to Harada.

“This force is much smaller than the one sent in the history we know,” he said. “Yamamoto sent five fleet carriers and a light carrier, with four battleships, seven cruisers and 19 destroyers. We have half the carriers and battleships, though we’re fairly thick on the lighter ships. That’s the Tone over there, behind Taiho, and I’ve spotted a couple light cruisers anchored with the Hiyo and Junyo. The real operation had no land assault planned. We’ll have to protect those troops, and handle anything the enemy throws at us, and with just 150 planes compared to the 350 Nagumo had. I don’t like it, but I wasn’t stupid enough to say anything in there.”

“You left out one ship Hara has that was never there before,” said Harada with a smile. “So we’ll just have to fill in for those shortfalls you mention. Those battleships look pretty mean as well. Any idea what the British will have?”

“Admiral James Somerville,” said Fukada for a start. “He was no slouch, and if the history here rhymes at all, he’ll have a pair of Illustrious class carriers, the light carrier Hermes, as many as five battleships and cruisers, and destroyers to match us pound for pound.”

It was actually worse than Fukada knew, for the intrepid Christopher Wells had arrived with HMS Formidable, and now the British would also match the Japanese plane for plane, though the edge in carrier operations and actual aircraft was still held by the Japanese. Yet it was going to be a much more ambitious operation than the historical raid, and with the odds much more even.

Harada was going to have to weigh heavily in the outcome, because Somerville had been alerted to the operations, and he was already making preparations to put out to sea and intercept it.

* * *

The move up through the Strait of Malacca was accomplished without incident. Takami was well out in front, her radars scanning the sea and sky ahead, sonars listening for any enemy that might be lurking beneath the sea. On the 24th of September she was steaming about 15 nautical miles off Port Blair, and they had a helo up to give them a look over the island. Nothing had been seen due north, and Fukada asserted that Somerville would not be there, but Harada knew they were in a different game now, and he was taking no chances. Once they were confident nothing was east of Andaman Island, he turned west, intending to approach Port Blair and cover the landing operation there by those SNLF troops, with the light cruiser Sendai.

The port was at the southern tip of the big Andaman island. The smaller Rutland island nearly kissed the tip of Andaman, and some 20 miles south of that, was Little Andaman. Hara was taking his carriers south of Little Andaman Island, intending to move west of the long main island to begin his approach to Ceylon. Ozawa was heading instead for the 20-mile-wide channel, and that was where Takami would be heading soon.

It was then that the enemy showed his first teeth. A pair of fighters came out of the northwest, and Harada presumed they were simply out on a recon operation. He gave them a pass, knowing the enemy coast watchers at Port Blair must have already reported the approaching Japanese ships. But at 11:30 hours that morning, eight more contacts were seen approaching the island on the same vector at about 24,000 feet, and cruising at 195 knots.

“Where there’s smoke, there’s fire,” said Fukada. “That has to be a strike group. Probably torpedo bombers off Somerville’s carriers.”

“The ship will come to battle stations,” said Harada. “Stand up the SM-2s. We can spend a few to make sure those troops get ashore.”

The strike wave hit the western shore of Andaman Island at 11:38, and Harada gave orders to get after them at the 20 nautical mile range. The first missile was away at 11:40, just as the enemy planes, a group of 8 Barracudas, were descending to make their attack approach. They saw the contrails coming, yet much too fast to be from enemy fighters. Instinct serving, they continued their diving descent, thinking to get down and avoid the threat, but the missiles were not in any way fooled.

The crewmen on the Japanese transport Tatekawa Maru saw those contrails too, and now their blood froze, for they did exactly what all the rumors had been reporting, climbing into the sky, then descending. Several thought their ships were now under attack, and fearful shouts of Mizuchi were heard. Gunners on the cruiser Sendai even started firing at them, though they had no chance to hit those sleek arrows. Then to their great surprise and relief, the Japanese saw those rockets fly right over their ships, streaking towards the northwest. There they now saw the distant specks of enemy planes in the sky, and the gunners on the Sendai were retraining their weapons in that direction.

They saw the missiles home true, infallibly tracking and hunting those planes. Then the first exploded in a bright orange fireball, and the fearful shouts turned to cheers. “They have missed us!” one man shouted. “They have gone after their own planes!”

More explosions followed, and in those first hot minutes, four of the eight enemy planes were blasted from the sky, with one other suffering fragment damage from one of its dying comrades. The three remaining planes were getting lower, swooping over the long inlet of the bay and turning to come around and take the Japanese ships from the south.

“Three more,” said Harada. “I know it’s a lot to spend, but if they get one torpedo off it could deep six one of those transports. Then what good are we here?”

So they fired, three more precious SM-2s, and the result was inevitable. The missiles ran true, tracked their targets, and killed them, and Somerville would get the report five minutes later where he stood with Wells on the bridge of HMS Formidable.

* * *

“Sir,” came the signalman. “We’ve lost them. All eight, sir. They’re gone.”

“Damn!” said Somerville. “They must have seen our recon group and got up fighters. We tried to bugger them, but they were on to us.”

“No sir,” said the man. “It wasn’t Jap Zeros, sir. It was rockets. Bill Whitman was the last, and we heard it clear as day. Rockets, he said. The Japs have naval rockets!”

Somerville’s carriers were in a very good position to stop this little raid by the enemy, about 90 nautical miles slightly northwest of Port Blair. Indomitable was in the lead, followed by Illustrious and then the flagship, Formidable. Six destroyers accompanied them, in three groups of two, and the cruiser force, with Cornwall, Dorsetshire, Emerald, Enterprise and the destroyer Legion were some miles to his southwest steaming for the channel.

“Indeed?” said Somerville, looking at Wells. “Naval rockets is it?” Virtually everyone in the fleet had heard of them. There had been lots of talk of the big battles fought in the North Atlantic, and the Med. But the rockets had always been on their side. To now learn that the enemy had them as well was most disheartening.

“What do you make of this, Mister Wells?”

“I’m not quite sure, sir. I wonder if Admiral Tovey knows about it?” Wells had seen a good deal of action in this war. After saving Glorious, he had served briefly aboard HMS Invincible, and that was where he had his first glimpse of what this was all about. A mysterious ally had joined the Royal Navy, though Wells had never been aboard the ship. He knew it had Naval rockets as its primary weapon of war, but not much more. He certainly did not expect the other side had these weapons, least of all, the Japanese.

Somerville frowned, thinking. He was considering whether he should now launch a second strike, but reports arrived minutes later that the Japanese were landing troops at Port Blair. It was too late. All his planes would hit now were empty transports, as this was most likely a light SNLF battalion of Naval Marines. That would be enough to overcome the small garrison at Port Blair, no more than a company in strength, with a few 40mm Bofors and service troops for the port.

A day late and ten pounds short, he thought. But what we do know is that our enemy is out there, somewhere south of the Andaman Islands, and right where I expected them. We knew the Sunda strait was still too hazardous for them to use. So they had to approach through the Strait of Malacca, which is why I deployed here, and not farther to the southwest. I must move that way now, and seek to cut him off as he approaches Ceylon.

It was sound military thinking, but a maneuver he would soon find fraught with danger.

Part XVIII

Pearl of Great Price

“The kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.”

— Matt. 13:46-47

Chapter 52

It would come to be called the Pearl Harbor of the West, an effort by Yamamoto to smash the main British bastion in the Indian Ocean and drive them all the way back to Madagascar and Cape Town. If successful, it would be the perfect complement to the Army’s operation then underway in Burma, which had already seized Rangoon, and now intended to drive the British back into India. After that, Japan would stand on defense there, and no further offensive operations against India or Africa were contemplated.

The Army’s sobering experience in China had led it to determine that it could simply not invade another country as populous as India. There was too much ground, and the British would have an almost endless source of manpower for recruits that would likely flock to their banners after such an invasion. They already had great forces there in the British Indian Army, so it would be enough to drive them from Burma, and then secure that flank. Hara’s Operation C was the naval element, aiming to supplant Britain’s valuable naval bases at Colombo and Trincomalee with Japanese forces. From there, Japanese air power could pose a constant threat to enemy shipping in the Bay of Bengal, and force British convoys to Australia deeper into the Indian Ocean.

Hara’s carrier group was 150 sea miles southeast of Port Blair when Takami fought its first defensive duel against those incoming Barracudas. They had traded seven irreplaceable missiles for eight enemy planes, which was the dilemma of these interlopers from the future. Every time they used the power they possessed, they grew weaker.

Receiving that report, Hara dispatched a pair of Zeros off Taiho to overfly the channel between the Big and Little Andaman Islands where Ozawa intended to take his task force. That was where Takami was now heading, and the planes would vector in on her coordinates, and then proceed northwest for a recon sortie. A little before 13:00 local time, the fighters made their rendezvous with Takami, and proceeded north.

“Come to 300,” said Harada, noting the time. They were now going to run up towards the Sentinel Island, passing south of that and continuing on this heading to scout the way into the Bay of Bengal. Ozawa’s Cruiser Force was just under seventy miles due east as they made that turn, bound to make that same transit of the channel. Eight minutes later, that recon sortie produced results when the Zeros spotted large wakes combing the sea.

“Sir,” said Shiota, “I am monitoring a signal from Scout 1. They have numerous contacts, 60 to 70 nautical miles out. Several destroyers and cruiser class ships, and three carriers. They now report the enemy is launching planes.”

“Notify Hara immediately.”

“Aye sir.” Shiota passed the information on to Ensign Teppo. She was at the comm station to be ears, but any communications with the Japanese fleet would go through Teppo’s mouth. It still would not do to have a woman make such a call in 1942.

“Scout 1 heading home, but they have what they think is a flight of fighters in pursuit.”

“Don’t worry about them,” said Fukada to the Captain. “Our Zeros can outrun anything the British have, and out fight them if they do try to intercept.”

“Very well,” said Harada. “Track those fighters, but take them off the missile targeting board.

“If they do persist,” said Fukada, “they may get close enough to spot us.”

“Lieutenant Otani, how far out are they?”

“47 nautical miles at a little over 12,000 feet and now climbing through 12,500. Speed 160 knots. If they continue on their present heading they’ll pass about 10 to 12 miles east of us.”

“Given all these other contacts reported, we’re sailing towards a lot of trouble. Helm, let’s come to 270.”

“Aye sir, coming to 270.”

“Mister Fukada, what is our Admiral likely to do here?”

“He’s about 200 sea miles southeast of the reported position of those enemy carriers. His dive bombers could get up there, but the Torpedo planes will only have a 160 mile strike radius, so he’ll hold those until the range closes.”

They did not have long to wait before Fukada’s prediction was verified. Otani reported planes forming up over Hara’s carriers, at 13:40, and soon they began to head northwest.

* * *

Aboard HMS Formidable, Admiral Somerville was still stinging from the loss of those first eight planes. Enemy rockets—a most unexpected development, to say the least.

“Opinion, Mister Wells,” he said to his new Captain. A rising star in the Navy, Wells had just come over from HMS Glorious, the ship he had single handedly saved from almost certain destruction when it was caught unawares by the Twins in the Norwegian Sea.

“Well sir, and with all due respect, I don’t think I would want to be here just now, not with the whole of the Carrier Squadron, and not for Port Blair.”

“You would not defend it? There it sits, like a good pawn in the center of the board. From there we can get search planes well down into the Strait of Malacca.”

“True sir, but we have very little at risk there beyond that single utility, and we haven’t even got planes there. Its usefulness now is limited to coast watchers, and its proximity to both Singapore and Rangoon will make it a very difficult square to cover.”

“Do go on,” said Somerville, wanting to hear Wells out.

“So we’re the gallant knight, sir, posted here to cover that pawn. And you’ve sortied the Slow Force battleships like a rook to watch this file we find ourselves on, but Vice Admiral Willis can’t really offer us much in the way of support. We’ve called it the Slow Force for good reason. The Japanese won’t come after us with a surface action group. They’ll strike with their carriers. It’s a fairly good bet those Zeros are on a heading back to their mother ships as we speak, but we don’t know just how far out those carriers are. Our fighters reported one contact, a lone ship passing south of Sentinel Island, but no carriers and only that single ship.”

“Most likely a picket,” said Somerville, “which could mean the main body is southeast of Little Andaman.”

“Yes sir, but those Zeros have a good long mission radius, 800 nautical miles for a recon like this. That could put the enemy carriers anywhere from 200 to 400 miles out.”

“All the same, wouldn’t you get a strike group ready?”

“If I had to stay here, yes sir, I would.”

“Yet you would rather be elsewhere. I see…”

“It isn’t that I’ve lost my stomach for a fight, sir,” said Wells.

“Of course not.”

“It’s just that I would take the fleet west of Ceylon, and not operate here where they could cut us off by simply turning southwest now, and bottle us up here in the Bay of Bengal. We can’t get around the north tip of Ceylon. The reefs and shallows there make such a move impractical.”

“I see. Yet it was my thinking to keep the fleet interposed between the enemy and his obvious objective.”

“That would have been a fine strategy, sir,” said Wells, “assuming…” He hesitated now.

“Assuming what, Mister Wells? Go right on and speak your mind.”

“Assuming we could at least match them.”

That pricked at an inner sore spot Somerville had been rubbing himself for a good long while. He knew his carriers were tough with their armored flight decks, and he had good, experienced crews. But they did not have the planes to match those of the Japanese, nor the skill to match their pilots in a duel like this.

“A point well taken,” he said slowly. “Yet match them we must. Ceylon is at stake here, and we’ve got to stand up.”

“I understand, sir. Shall we get a strike spotted?”

“I think we should.”

“Aye sir. May I suggest a mixed group, Albacores and Fulmars armed with the 1000 pound bombs. Seafires in escort.”

“Give the order and the fleet will come to 265. The wind has cooperated with us today. As we turn into it now, this new course will also take us off that enemy sighting vector, and towards our Cruiser Force.” And it will also take us west, he thought, for much in what Wells had argued stuck to him now, and he was beginning to see the potential trap he might find himself in here.

“Shall I pass the ready order on to the other carriers?” asked Wells.

“Please do so. Have Illustrious post a squadron of Martlets on CAP.”

Somerville knew he was at a decided disadvantage here. They could not match their enemy. The Japanese Admiral now had his location, and planes that could reach him, while he had nothing more than a good guess as to the position of the enemy carriers. He had to be ready to launch in any case, but now he wanted the support of his cruisers and destroyers. The game was on, but who would move next?

A moment later, they saw the enemy making their first big move. “Sir, Type 281 reports a large contact out at maximum range and bearing on our position. 130 miles out.”

Somerville looked at Wells. “Here they come,” he said. “Notify Indomitable to spot a second squadron of fighters.”

“Sir,” said Wells. “If those are strike planes, then they would be Vals or Kates. The former would probably launch no more than 250 miles from its intended target, the latter 160 miles. So I would now estimate their mother carriers to be somewhere here.” He circled a finger on the plotting table. “If I’m right, sir, we can hit them. At the very least we should clear our decks of anything armed and get it airborne while we can.”

“A wise precaution,” said Somerville. “Make it so.”

“We’ve got those two Martlets returning now. I’ll launch as soon as they are recovered.”

They saw Illustrious spotting aircraft as well, and Indomitable was already sending out a group of Martlets, the American Wildcats renamed by the British. Aboard Takami, the screens were suddenly alight with over 36 contacts, all designated friendly as the British planes launched and then were vectored southeast to look for the enemy.

As the British squadrons proceeded, there was one pair of Japanese Zeros out on long range CAP that spotted them, and went after a flight of Barracudas, downing one in a swirling fight that sent the others off in wild directions. The planes carried on, and the fact that they were not massed into one coordinated group would now weigh in their favor. A group of six Seafires with 1000 pound bombs were out in front, but by the time they had expended half their fuel, they had seen only a pair of enemy destroyers entering the gap between the islands. One by one, they began to reach Bingo fuel, and were forced to turn for home.

Other squadrons in the long train pressed on through the Channel, but more Zeros greeted them east of Little Andaman Island and they still had not spotted the enemy carriers. In the meantime, the enemy planes were drawing ever nearer, but Somerville’s sideslip to the west now paid him good dividends. The Japanese Vals had carried on with the heading given them for the initial contact, and they missed the British carriers. For a time, they persisted north, a few chasing and attacking a lone British destroyer, before the strike leader realized his error and turned. Seeing enemy planes to their southwest, he reasoned those must be British planes returning to their carriers, and turned in that direction.

The Vals were almost at the point where they would have to head home, but at least now they were headed the right way, the costly hunt to the north behind them. Finally, they saw the large wakes of enemy ships scoring the cobalt sea beneath them, and began to make their attack run. They were going to be too late. Most would be nearing Bingo fuel soon, but they pressed in to attack, with none of them dropping bombs on Formidable as the skies began to light up with Ack Ack fire. Most bombs fell wide of the mark, but one was very close, no more than 150 feet off the starboard side of the ship. The blast sent shrapnel raking over the flight deck, damaging several Fulmars spotted there, and effectively putting them out of the game.

Crews ran to move the planes below decks while others were already rising on the elevators, this time armed with 1000 pound bombs. The last of the Vals swooped through the flak, then the formation swarmed off like angry bees, heading south. They had put one stinger into their enemy, and those results were none too good considering that these were veteran pilots. Two stubborn pilots still had bombs when they got the order to return to base, but they could not go without attacking and bear the shame of having to jettison those bombs. Ignoring their fuel situation, they turned, braving the flak, and bored in on that carrier.

They each got off two 125kg bombs, but all fell well over 500 feet from the carrier. Wells and Somerville had dodged the first enemy attack, and now Formidable had frantically launched another group of Fulmars to try and follow those Vals home and find their unseen enemy.

Down south, the other squadrons of Barracudas had still not sighted the Japanese carriers, but they did find what looked to many like a battleship below. It was actually the Heavy Cruiser Tone, out in front of Hara’s group by some 30 miles. The British had come that close to finding the carriers, but now, in desperation, low on fuel, they decided to take the bird in hand. The first two Fulmars put their bombs nearly half a mile from the target in their haste, and the gunners aboard Tone actually laughed at their enemy. Most of the other British squadrons got hung up about 40 miles north of Taiho, where Hara had posted his long range CAP. The slashing attack of the Zeros was enough to so disrupt the enemy formations, that the strain on their fuel was now forcing them to turn for home.

So it was that these initial probing attacks saw both sides frustrated, shadow boxing with an enemy that neither one could clearly see. But Hara now had a very good idea where his enemy was, and he was determined to strike again with the remaining daylight. At 15:40 he gave orders for all carriers to launch a second wave. He would get those planes up and off the decks just as a group of eight Zeros were returning. As his squadrons headed out, he saw more Zeros launching from Hiyo as ordered to replace his defensive CAP. They were soon in a wild fight with anything the British had near Tone, as the Fulmar was a fighter bomber, and those pilots too far off to get an attack in, could jettison their bombs and take on the role of that fighter. Both side would take losses, but the net effect was that Hara would effectively parry and block the last punched the three British carriers had thrown at him.

An hour later, by 16:40, the first groups of that strike wave had already arrived at the last reported location of the carriers, and then turned west to look for those long wakes. The British could see them coming on radar, and they would surely vector in all the other groups in their train.

“We had better look to our defense,” said Somerville.

“Indomitable reports they have six Seafires ready on deck for immediate launch. Illustrious has two more on ready standby. I’ll have them scrambled at once. As for us, I’m afraid we’ve just got the Barracudas left below deck.”

“Leave them there for now. But we must be ready to arm them at a moment’s notice. Not just now, however. Particularly with enemy planes coming at us. Gentlemen, it may soon be every man for himself, but we’re likely to take the heat first, trailing the other two carriers as we are now. Let’s get off this heading and see if we can dodge another arrow.”

“Aye sir,” said Wells. “Helm, come to 320 and ahead full.”

Chapter 53

Those eight Seafires were not going to be enough. The long range CAP already up for the British had pounced on one of the squadrons of Vals, and took down five in a heated duel, but now they could see lower flying formations of Kates, and more Vals coming in higher up. They radioed home, telling their comrades the enemy was throwing the kitchen sink at them.

This time Somerville’s dodge would not work.

It was Lieutenant Ichihara off the Taiho that saw the carriers first, leading in two Shotai of B5N2 torpedo bombers. At a little after 17:00 the enemy planes swooped low over the water and began their attack runs, racing in at very high speed, which was a hallmark of the Kate. Soon the long wicked wakes of the torpedoes were clawing through the water, and one struck Formidable amidships, blasting through the torpedo bulwark and achieving partial penetration of the main hull.

The resulting explosion buckled the second deck where those Barracudas sat in open parking, but thankfully, only two were then armed with torpedoes, and neither of those were damaged. Several flak guns on that side of the ship took bad splinter damage, the crews cruelly clawed by shrapnel caused by the explosion. A fire broke out and a call came up to the bridge to report minor flooding amidships.

“They’ve gone and stuck one to us,” said Somerville coolly.

“It seems they have, sir,” said Wells.

The buckled deck had also thrown both elevators slightly off their bearings, and the engineers were now trying to see if they could keep them operational. Above, chaos reigned over the scene, with planes seemingly everywhere. Vals were swarming over Illustrious off their port quarter, and the few Seafires they got up were battling the enemy against steep odds. Between their efforts and the AA fire, at least eleven Vals were taken down in that wild attack.

Bombs were falling around Indomitable, escorted by the destroyer Napier. Vals that had already dropped their bombs then bravely went after the Fireflies. Planes were cartwheeling into the sea on every side, and losses were beginning to mount. Then two Vals got through the intense flak and both were able to put 125kg bombs right on the armored flight deck of Illustrious. Neither were able to penetrate all the way through to the hangar deck, but now came a group of eight Kates off the Junyo, bearing down on both the other two British carriers. One would hit the Illustrious aft with a torpedo that would put most of her remaining planes out of the game for a time when the explosion sent fire and smoke through the hangar deck. The minor flooding would be controlled, and the fires suppressed, but she was out of the fight at a critical moment.

By 18:00 it was all over, the smoke trailing up into the sky from all three British carriers. Formidable had it the worst, her fires spreading to ignite an aviation fuel bunker, with a violent explosion rocking the ship. Wells was thrown from his feet, Somerville holding on to the binnacle as the ship swayed, then righted itself. The Admiral came to his Captain, extending a hand.

“Mister Wells,” he said. “I am beginning to see the wisdom of your earlier arguments. We’ve no business being here now, and perhaps I was rash to put us in harm’s way, but that was my charge. Now we must look to our ship.”

A call came up that the damage control parties were having great difficulty getting the fires under control. The ship’s speed was exacerbating that effort, but if they slowed down, those fast enemy cruisers could find them. The reality of what had just happened finally hit Wells like a blast of cold air.

They were going to lose her.

That was the only thing running through his mind now—no more strategy, and nothing of chess moves as he had put it to Somerville earlier. His ship was going down. The Admiral, being much more experienced at sea, also knew the worst. He edged a bit closer and spoke to Wells, his voice low and controlled.

“I think we should see to getting the crew off as best we can. I’ll see to some documents from the plotting room. You see to the men and boats.”

“Very well.” Wells had a defeated look on his face, and Somerville saw it. The Admiral put his hand on the Captain’s shoulder.

“It happens, Mister Wells, and this is my fault, not yours. We get some of theirs, and they get some of ours. I’m afraid the two of us will likely look like a pair of wet dogs when they pull us out of the sea. Nestor is close by, and Napier. They can lend a hand. I’ll have signals sent to all other destroyers to muster on our position. As for Illustrious and Indomitable, they should continue west with all speed until we can sort ourselves out. Rear Admiral Boyd is on Indomitable, and he can manage. I’ll want him to effect a rendezvous with Admiral Willis and the Slow Force. Those battleships can put up a good deal of flak if the enemy comes looking for more trouble. Then I think the whole lot should move southwest…. Where we should have been all along.”

It was as much an effort to shore his Captain up as it was an admission of his own fault. The two men had a lot on their backs in the brief time they had collaborated. There was Mers-el-Kebir, and the dreadful consequences of that action that sent France firmly into the enemy camp. Then there was the action off Dakar, and the Canary Islands, where they got back in the game. This time, another island of great importance was at stake, and Somerville was beginning to doubt if they could defend it.

For his part, Wells realized the Admiral was trying to buck up his morale, but that he was also giving him his intentions as to future operations. When one went over the side in a situation like this, it was never certain where he might end up. The Admiral’s launch was readied for senior officers, but Somerville wanted to see the men off first. He had over a thousand souls on his mind now.

This was a blow that could cost us Ceylon, thought Wells. Every plane we’re carrying will go down with this ship, and what we have left on the other two carriers may not be able to hold the enemy off. If I had it to say, I would get those planes to bases on Ceylon, and get those last two carriers well west to safe waters. We weren’t ready to mix it up with the Japanese carriers like this, but what else could we do but our best?

Paladin, Panther, Hotspur, and Foxhound, would soon arrive on the scene to lend assistance as Formidable began to list heavily. There would not be enough boats for all the men, but those six destroyers would be able to pull the lion’s share out of the sea. In the end, they would lose only 76, mostly those already killed in the attack itself, and some to mishaps during the evacuation. That was the only solace Somerville could take from his fate, but the real sting was that Britain had lost a very valuable ship, and his carrier force as a whole was now much diminished as a defensive foil.

In fact, Indomitable had repaired most of its damage, though Illustrious was a little worse off. Both carriers were still seaworthy, and after being pull up onto Indomitable three hours later, Somerville now had to decide what to do. They had 44 planes left between the two carriers, and Wells sought him out to offer his own thoughts.

“Sir, if the enemy is still coming, and I think he is, then wouldn’t our remaining planes be better served ashore? Hermes has twelve more at Trinco, but that just leaves us 56 aircraft. We could be facing twice as many enemy planes from what I saw in that attack. If they joined the Hurricane squadrons ashore, our defense there might be thicker.”

“Sound thinking, Wells, but rather emasculating to order our boys landward like that. We’ll run west for Trinco, and then take stock of the situation.”

“They can’t sink the island, sir,” Wells put in one last argument. “We can hold back a few fighters on the decks, but move most of the strike planes ashore. The carriers would become a scouting force to try and locate the enemy on his approach, and they might do better southwest of Colombo. That way, if we have to retire, we’ve a clear route and open sea. As it stands, if we linger off Trinco, we can only go south to get around the island, and that could put us in a fix if the enemy is heading southwest from their last position.”

Somerville nodded, smiling inwardly. The man was already thinking about tomorrow, when he hasn’t even got the seawater out of his ears today. I like that.

“I’ll keep your suggestion in mind, Mister Wells. Now then… I think we’d best present ourselves to Captain Troubridge and inform him the flag is now planted firmly on his ship. I’ll post you to the plotting room, and do sound off if you have anything more to say.”

“The plotting room… Yes, sir.” Wells seemed a little despondent.

Somerville gave him a look. “Don’t worry, Welly,” he said, using the nickname he had heard the other men hang on Wells. “We’ll get you another ship. All in good time.”

Dusk, 24 SEP 42

Off to the southeast, Admiral Hara was also counting the eggs left in his nest. When darkness settled over the sea, Hiyo had 27 planes, Junyo 22, and Taiho 65, for a total of 114 aircraft now available to carry on the operation. It had been a costly day, but the pilots were still jubilant. They had hurt their enemy much more, and knew they had sunk at least one of the three enemy carriers.

This cruiser Yamamoto sent me was at least of some use, thought Hara. It covered that landing at Port Blair well enough, took down that first enemy squadron, and sent me a lot of useful and accurate information as to the location of the enemy carriers. So I will continue to post it as a picket, only this time I think it will operate with Tone and her seaplanes. Together they will make an excellent scouting force.

Losses were heavy. We lost twelve fighters, twenty-three dive bombers, but only six torpedo bombers. Forty-one aircraft gone… but I still have enough to carry on. I will move southwest now, for if the enemy retires west, that course gives me every chance of cutting them off. Tomorrow should see us in a very good position, and I will post Ozawa’s force about 30 miles north of my position as a screen.

The short night was ahead of them, and the service air crews worked feverishly to repair damage, refuel, and rearm all the planes scheduled for operations the next day. That night, the Japanese also flew in four seaplanes to Port Blair, and they began preparing for scouting operations. One plane went up that night for a long range patrol, scouting west to look for the British at their last reported position. With the night clear it was able to spot the wakes of several ships gleaming in the wan light of an evening crescent moon, low on the horizon as it began to set.

Hara got the report at 22:15, one carrier, one battleship, with numerous destroyers, and additional light units spotted further southeast of that position. It was immediately clear to him that the British were now running on a parallel course, possibly to attempt to cover Trincomalee, or perhaps in an effort to reach Colombo. He immediately gave orders for all fleet units to increase speed, ahead full, and the race was on.

Ozawa’s 7th Cruiser Division was about 65 miles northeast of his position and within 45 sea miles of the closest enemy contact. Confident in night actions, he signaled Ozawa to attempt to engage. At the very least, he might get better information on the size and composition of the enemy force. So at 22:30, the cruisers turned on a heading of 265, along with the 17th Destroyer Division. Even as they turned, contact was suddenly lost with that seaplane out of Port Blair, and this further reinforced Hara’s suspicion that the enemy carriers were there.

Hours passed as the day slipped away beyond midnight. The moon was down and darkness made the sea a sable cloth beneath increasing low clouds. With each passing hour, the positions of the enemy ships grew more uncertain, and no word had come from Takami, which had turned on a heading of 295 to look for the enemy. Finding nothing, Ozawa resumed a heading of 242, again running parallel to the carriers, but now over 100 sea miles to the north.

As dawn came, Hara altered his course 20 points to starboard, coming to 256. He immediately ordered fighters up to look for the enemy fleet. Departing on a heading of 320, they overflew Ozawa’s cruiser Force at a few minutes before 06:00, continuing on to the northwest.

Nothing was seen.

Frustrated, and thinking the enemy may have elected to run for Trincomalee, he nonetheless decided to check due west of his position, sending up another pair of Zeros off the Hiyo at 06:20. Then, at 06:37 the scouting group off Taiho suddenly radioed a sighting report—enemy carrier!

All that night, the British had moved towards the east coast of Ceylon. That first seaplane that had spotted them got entirely too curious, descending to an altitude that prompted the battleship Revenge to open up with its flak guns. A hit damaged both the engine and radio, sending the plane down.

All the destroyers that had come to the aid of Formidable, were then dispatched to Trincomalee with the survivors, save the senior officer party that had come aboard Indomitable. Somerville had cruised on a heading of 225 all night, intending to skirt very near the curving southeast coast of Ceylon. He was taking Wells’ advice to heart now, thinking only of how he might save his remaining carriers. His intention was to get down past the southern tip of the island at Koggala, where a small seaplane base was fueling up two Catalinas for their morning patrol.

All that night, Cruiser Force, with Cornwall, Dorsetshire, Emerald and Enterprise, had been steaming about 80 miles to his southwest, in a very good position to become entangled with Hara’s fleet, but they had seen nothing in the inky darkness after moonset.

Hara had moved to a position about 220 miles east of Koggala on the southern tip of Ceylon, and though he did not yet know it, he had already cut his enemy off, as Wells had feared. That first contact with the enemy came when Scout 1 off Taiho reported a carrier about 100 nautical miles to Hara’s north, and then a second carrier, 45 miles ahead of the first, and 116 miles northwest of Taiho. If those reports were good, both were in strike range, but why had the enemy separated? One must have battle damage or engine problems, he assumed, and ordered his planes to begin spotting to attack immediately. He elected to go with his torpedo bombers, all 17 then available on Taiho, and a fighter escort of two Shotai would launch from Junyo.

At the same time, Takami sent over information that there were two airborne contacts, most likely search planes originating from Koggala. They were on headings that might find the Japanese within the hour, and so Hara elected to go after them, ordering Hiyo to send up a Shotai of three more Zeros off Hiyo.

Takami watched the little drama unfold on its screens, the Zeros taking a heading that brought them right over the ship. At that point, about 07:50, the contact was 58 miles off, and Takami messaged the Japanese pilots, guiding them in. While this was happening, Scout 2, was able to refine its sighting report to three cruisers and a pair of destroyers. Thinking these must be an advanced screen, the planes turned to follow the enemy wakes in the opposite direction, thinking they might point them to the main body.

As the little engagement ensued, the Catalina, flown by one Leonard Joseph Birchall. Already famous in Fedorov’s history for spotting the approach of the Japanese fleet, he was out to double down on that fate line. All he had seen up to this point was a single cruiser, leaving a medium wake on the sea. He took it for what it was, a lone picket forward of the enemy fleet, and pressed on.

Then the Zeros found him.

Coming out of the eastern sun, barely visible, Birchall had no chance against those swift winged fighters. On the first pass they raked the wing and set the left engine afire. He struggled with the yoke to try and get the plane down, his only thought now being to land in one piece.

“Send out that we’ve found the Japanese,” he shouted over his shoulder to the radioman. “Send ‘Leading screen at our position.’ They’ll sort the rest out.”

Down he went, the smoke from that engine getting worse with each passing minute. The Zeros could have followed, but they stayed aloft, reporting back to Hara that the contact had been shot down. Birchall would descend until his smoking trail vanished into clouds, and eventually land his Catalina on the sea. In the meantime, Scout 2 off Taiho had followed those wakes and found the British carriers, which scrambled fighters to get up and challenge them when the Zeros were spotted. The report came back: Main body, three battleships, two carriers, five destroyers.

Chapter 54

07:15 Hours. 25 SEP 42

After both sides ran all night, on roughly parallel courses, round two of the battle was now underway, and the situation if viewed on a plotting table looked very confused. Gurēgōsuto, the Grey Ghost as Takami was now being called, indicated the presence and position of the leading British carrier sighting that had been spotted by Scout 1 earlier that morning. They believed there was also a battleship present, and at least three destroyers, that this enemy force was following right in Takami’s wake, perhaps 32 sea miles behind.

Ozawa’s position now put him directly behind the other reported carrier sighting, following its wake. He was soon given permission to take his 7th Cruiser Division and intercept. Suzuya raced ahead, a fleet footed ship at 33 knots. The other cruisers followed, guns loading for action. Tense moments passed, the watchmen straining their eyes at the binoculars, but nothing was seen in the low marine layer.

The two fleets, now widely dispersed, had nearly collided with one another, but the darkness and low weather had obscured all until sunrise. Even the planes had difficulty finding contacts through small breaks in the cloud cover, which meant there might be difficulties with the strike wave. Hara looked at his watch, then leaned heavily in his chair on the bridge of Taiho, watching the Kates lining up for takeoff. He would probe with this first punch, a jab at the enemy’s chin. If all went well, he was ready to launch a much heavier strike on short order.

* * *

It was no longer a question of whether they should have been west of Ceylon. Now it was a question of whether they could get there safely at all. All through the night, Somerville had deliberately elected not to fly any cover. He knew where his enemy was going, and Wells had called it exactly. Now, with the sun up, he looked at his hand and found few cards worth playing.

He had 44 planes between the two carriers, but they were mostly fighters. His strike planes had suffered heavily in the action of the previous day, and he had lost a good many of the new Barracudas when Formidable went down. He had only 15 of those left, and that was all the sting at his disposal. All of his dual purpose Fulmars were gone. The rest were the 16 Martlets, 9 Fireflies and 4 Seafires, all new model planes that had only recently been delivered to F.A.A. squadrons. He considered arming them with bombs, but knew that was useless. None of those fighter pilots had ever been trained for naval bombing.

Again Wells’ admonishment came to mind—get the planes to bases on Ceylon. If the enemy were to find him this day, and strike his carriers again, all these planes would surely be lost. It was all a sad testimony to support Wells’ other assertion, that the fleet should not have been where it was at all, and that the effort to try and ambush the enemy landing at Port Blair was ill-considered. He ordered every Barracuda armed and aloft at once, with six Fireflies. Even as he did so, his radar crews reported a flurry of long range contacts loitering about 125 miles to the southeast, on a heading of 160.

He had found the enemy carriers, for those were obviously planes forming up for the attack. As the seconds ticked away, he had to decide what to do with those Barracudas. Trinco was 150 nautical miles to the northwest, and they could still reach that base. Colombo was a good deal farther, about 225 miles, and over the high central mountains on Ceylon. The enemy carriers were 125 miles to the southeast, but how many of those 15 planes would get through, and would they find a deck waiting for them if they made it back? If he sent them to Trinco, they could still act in defense of that base, and Wells was correct, the Japanese could not sink the island. But he would forfeit anything they might do to defend his carriers by bringing harm to the enemy.

He decided. They were heading for Ceylon.

When the startled pilots got that order they were quite put off. What were they doing up here if they were simply going to run for home when the going got rough? Just before they turned, one saw the long wake of a fast ship through a break in the clouds, and reported a single cruiser, requesting permission to attack.

Somerville relented. “Very well,” he told the signalman. “Order them to go on in. If that is an enemy cruiser, it’s right on the trail of Illustrious. Maybe this will buy her some time.”

Damn, he thought. Illustrious has a gimpy leg after that action yesterday. She’s been falling farther and farther behind all night, and without proper escort. I’ll detach a destroyer to look after her. There’s another thousand souls on that ship to worry about now.

By 08:00 hours, the last five planes aboard Illustrious were off the deck and climbing into the grey skies, three Fireflies and a pair of Seafires. That group of Barracudas went after their cruiser contact, which was the forward ship in Ozawa’s force, Suzuya. Some never got close enough. The Zeros sent on ahead to sweep the target area for enemy cap had already spotted them, and fell like hawks on doves, their talons sharp with bright MG fire. They would get three of the seven Barracudas in that group, but the other two would get to Suzuya, and with sheer will to put hurt on their enemy, they braved the thickening flak and got their torpedoes in the water.

Both ran true.

Suzuya rolled with a heavy explosion, then another as both torpedoes hit. The results were flooding amidships that could not be controlled, and the British, as intimidated as they were at the approach of the Japanese fleet, had finally drawn blood. Only two of the seven Barracudas survived, and decided to follow their original orders, heading off for Trinco.

Now, her decks and hangars empty, Illustrious was running for all she was worth, finally working up to 29 knots. Air alert was sounded, and the crews began opening up on a group of low flying enemy planes that began circling their prey. Illustrious had 48 two-pounder AA guns on six Octuple mounts, and they began chopping op the sky, their chattering fire accented by the dark roses of the bigger 4.5-inch dual purpose guns. They would put down at least five Kates, but one scored a hit, aft, where the flooding threatened one of her propulsion shafts.

Like jackals nipping at the legs of their prey, the Kates had slowed the carrier from 29 to 21 knots again, and the second squadron of torpedo planes was now vectoring in. Those five British fighters were in a swirling dogfight higher up with the Japanese Zeros, so they could not help. It would be Hara’s pilots against the gunners on Illustrious now, and the balance of power in the Indian Ocean was riding on the outcome. The Kates saw the thin stream of grey smoke from the carrier, and turned to follow.

Her speed still falling off, Illustrious was also starting to go into a slight list to port when those last nine Kates found her and made their attack. Gunner Jake Morton saw a pair of planes swoop down to line up for their attack. He was right on them, his 2-Pounders hot with fire, and had every confidence he would take both down. One had already been hit, its left wing streaming a thin train of smoke. Then, with a wrenching thud, his gun mount jammed. Someone had failed to mount a round properly, and at that critical moment, the stream of fire he had been putting out was cut off.

The other gunners could not hold them at bay, and soon the seas were streaked with the wakes of enemy torpedoes. Expert in their craft, and with a very deadly and accurate weapon, the Japanese would find their mark again that morning. The carrier rocked with two more explosions, and like Formidable the previous day, she would sink that same hour.

The outcome of the entire engagement had come down to one moment, but it was not Jake Morton on his 2-Pounders. It was Gunner’s mate Ed Wicker, two hours earlier, when he had failed to properly replenish that gun mount magazine after a long, sleepless night. Yet no one would ever know that. It was one of a thousand Pushpoints on the history, hiding in the seeming insignificance of a billion simple moments that made up that flow of time. Wicker’s woe was Morton’s mishap, and the end of Illustrious along with any hope that the Royal Navy could ever sortie here again to defend Ceylon.

When Somerville got the news that he had lost her, he lowered his head, rubbing his brow. His defense had been rash, ill-managed, and now he had lost two ships Britain depended on greatly for her continued survival. He was learning the hard lesson that the American Admirals Fletcher and Halsey had been taught when it came to carrier duels with the Japanese. If you locked horns with the Imperial Japanese Navy, be ready to suffer losses. They were just too good at this deadly art of war, and not to be ever taken lightly. He knew nothing of Ed Wicker at that moment, but stripes on his cuff meant that he would certainly shoulder all the blame for his lapse.

Meanwhile, Takami had been monitoring the complex situation on her SPY-1D radars. Otani spoke up, a warning in her tone. “Sir, that skunk I reported on a minute ago is getting close, and they’re three big mothers behind it, cruising at 20 knots.”

It was Somerville’s screening force, the light cruiser Caledon with destroyers Fortune, Vampire and Vendetta. The bigger ships following were Vice Admiral Willis with his battleships on close cover for Indomitable. The sea around them was already erupting with water splashes from the guns of the heavy cruiser Tone.

“Our escort is on the job, said Harada. Bring us about and steer 180. We’ll open the range. Monitor the situation and if Tone needs assistance, we’ll go to our deck gun.”

Tone would not need assistance. Her ten 8-inch guns were more than a match for Caledon, and the three destroyers broke off to the west, running towards distant Ceylon. The battleships could never get close enough, for Tone was a very fast ship.

“Sir,” said Shiota. “From the signal traffic I’m hearing, I think we got that carrier—Illustrious,”

Fukada smiled, rubbing his hands together. “Two down and one to go,” he said.

“Do we have a fix on that last British carrier?” asked Harada.

“No sir,” said Otani. “When we broke south away from those destroyers we lost the contact. Predictive plot still has them on the board, but that is not reliable information if they’ve turned. My best guess is that they’re at 350, probably 40 nautical miles out from our position—over a hundred miles from our carriers. Their second DD screen just slipped over the horizon and went yellow. The only firm red contact I have now is that cruiser at 250.”

“Probably Cornwall or Dorsetshire,” said Fukada.

“Bring us about,” said the Captain. “We’ll chase that ship off if it has any ideas about trying to support that carrier. Feed Hara your best guess as to the carrier’s position based on that predictive plot. It’ll take them time to arm and spot for a strike, so factor that in.”

By 10:15 the brief, but violent engagement had ended, and the surviving planes had been recovered. Somerville was by no means out of the hot water, and now he called a conference of Wells, and the ship’s Captain Troubridge.

“Our own speed is falling off,” he said. That splinter damage to the boilers yesterday was bound to make itself known. Pressure is off and we’re down to 22 knots. At this rate, I don’t think we’ll get around Ceylon. Our only chance might be to turn north now, and make for Trinco. From there we go on to Madras, and hopefully under cover of the planes the RAF moved there. It was a footrace, gentlemen, and they won it. Illustrious paid the price.”

“If we turn now we might slip away,” said Troubridge.

“Mister Wells?”

“Agreed sir. If we could get up to speed I’d say press on, but under the circumstances, better to head north. We might open the range enough to cause them difficulties, but I would expect at least one more air strike today, and possibly two.”

“Then make it so, Captain, and signal Vice Admiral Willis, and all close supporting units to break off north. Any ship farther out is to carry on and attempt to reach Addu. We’ve been given a good hard beating here, and one I’ll not soon forget. Let’s just hope we can save this last carrier.”

“Don’t forget Hermes, sir,” said Wells. “She’s still at Trinco.”

“And with twelve planes,” said Somerville. “Well, we’ve got less than two dozen here. Are the fighters on deck?”

“Eight Martlets and a pair of Seafires ready.”

“Good, leave them there. If we launch, they’ll just come up on the enemy radar and let them know exactly where we are. So we skulk off north, and hope for the best. We’ll scramble the fighters if the enemy tries to hit us again. As for the battleships, we can’t wait for them, as much as I might want their added firepower for defense. Let’s see if we can work up more steam and run like the wind. In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed, and hold tight to those rabbit’s feet.”

* * *

Hara now considered his own options. He had sunk a second carrier, but the other was reported some thirty or forty miles further on, yet that contact was now over 90 minutes old. His forward scout group with Tone and Takami was following a British heavy cruiser to the west, and that was now their only solid contact. The day was young, and he could get planes up to look for the enemy again, which is what he decided to do. Until he knew more, he would continue due west towards Koggala. He had not yet used his dive bombers, knowing the enemy had armored flight decks like Taiho. Now he began to consider using those planes to strike the British bases. He could always spot torpedo planes on one of the other carriers in the event he found the British fleet again.

Using information provided by Takami, he sent another scouting group northwest, looking to find his enemy running down near the coast of Ceylon. By 11:10 he had found a heavy cruiser, still running southwest as before, but there was no sign of the carrier. Or any other ships. Where might they be, lost in this low marine layer? Might they have turned north?

By noon, with no further word, he was beginning to think his quarry had turned to run for Trincomalee. We must have hurt them very badly yesterday. Today they did not even dare to draw their sword. Suzuya fell as she ran down the enemy, but after that, we have not seen a single enemy plane.

An hour ago, they should have been within easy strike range, but now that begins to change. I will ignore the ships fleeing west. My mission was to attack Colombo. Ozawa still has three heavy cruisers, and four destroyers. I will order them to look for the enemy to the north. For now, it is time to get the dive bombers on deck and prepare to hit the enemy port. In another hour we will be close enough, and the planes can fly right over the island

At 1:30 the planes were up and on their way. Somerville on Indomitable was just able to see them on their long range radar, but he was unwilling to launch fighters unless he knew the enemy had found him out. The last of his fighters were on deck, engines running, ready for takeoff, but he held them tight, waiting.

“Sir,” came a message from the radar crews. “We’ve lost contact with those enemy planes. They must have moved to the northwest. There’s nothing on the scope heading our way now.”

Somerville nodded.

“Get yourself to the radio room,” he said. “Have them send out a coded warning to Colombo. The Japanese are coming.”

Somerville looked at Wells, a look on his face like a man who had just received a severe dressing down. “Mister Wells,” he said. “We got very lucky just now, and must never forget it. You and I might have shared the dubious distinction of having been the only two officers in the Royal Navy to ride a sinking ship down twice in the same battle. They’re going to hit Colombo next. Thank God for low clouds when you need them.”

“Will we make for Trinco, sir?”

“Too close,” said Somerville. We’d better run all the way up to Madras. Number 67 Squadron has Hurricanes at Alipore, and 146 Squadron has more at Dum Dum. I’ll see about getting them moved to Madras.”

“We be in a bit of a box, sir,” said Wells.

“Yes, I know that, but the Japanese can’t stay here forever. Their fleet will have to withdraw to Singapore, and then we’ll slip out to sea.”

“Will they come for Ceylon sir?”

“Very likely, but I’m afraid we won’t be able to do a thing about that. It will come down to the fight on the ground there now. At our first opportunity, I’m taking the fleet to Addu; perhaps all the way west to Madagascar. We’ll need considerable reinforcements if we have any hope of showing our faces in the Bay of Bengal again soon. God only knows where we’ll find them. I’ve a lot to answer for here, and had I sat with you earlier, and listened to your good advice, things might be a good deal better. As it stands, this whole sad affair can be laid at my feet, and I’ll spend a good long time writing my report.”

Hara hit Colombo the following day, then swung around the Island and bombed China Bay at Trinco on the 27th. That was to be the main landing site, and so he committed all his fighters to a decisive battle with the Hurricanes of the British 30th Squadron and a few Fulmars of F.A.A. 261 Squadron. Even a section of old Blenheim Bombers from 11th Squadron got into the act and tried to bomb Taiho, albeit unsuccessfully.

In these actions, Takami had operated with Kurita’s battleships, out looking for any further sign of the enemy fleet south of Ceylon. No enemy ships were found. Ozawa looked for the British up north, but never found them, and was fortunate in that. His three heavy cruisers would not have had a good time with Vice Admiral Willis and his three battleships. The fight over Trincomalee was costly, with the Japanese losing another 12 planes, but they had established air superiority by nightfall. Satisfied that he had command of the sea and sky, Hara ordered the invasion task force to proceed.

One day later, on the night of the 28th of September, the Japanese landed the 11th Regiment, 5th Division, on the beaches near Trincomalee. Churchill’s worst nightmare had come true, and the battle for Ceylon would now begin on the ground. 98th Indian Regiment of the 34th Division had been posted there, with a battalion of the British 16th regiment to stiffen the ranks. As in so many confrontations with the rugged Japanese infantry before, they were no match for the seasoned veterans of the 5th Division.

Trincomalee fell on the 1st of October, but there had only been enough shipping to lift this first regiment along with supplies adequate for the first two weeks. Hara departed for Singapore, where he planned to then refuel and escort the 21st Regiment to Ceylon for the landing at Colombo. In that interval, a chastened and disheartened Somerville slipped out of Madras and made a run for the Indian Ocean, but not before the three old battleships under Admiral Willis paid a visit to Trinco, protesting the Japanese occupation there with their 15-inch guns. No effort could be made to try and defend Colombo from any subsequent Japanese landing, and no further troops were available to send there.

In spite of his greatest fears coming to life with this Japanese invasion, Churchill was persuaded to use that same interval to pull out anything he could. A bird in hand was worth two in the bush, and Madagascar would be that bird. Indomitable lingered briefly, while the remainder of the 16th Brigade, with 99th and 100th Indian, and 21st East African were moved by sea at night. Three days after the last men got off, the Japanese 21st Regiment arrived to claim their pearl of great price.

Maps

Route taken by the US strike wing off Taffy 11, first striking Hara’s Carrier Division 5 and then diverting to Ndeni in the Santa Cruz Islands.

Position of Nagumo’s Carrier Division 1 is also shown.

Hara’s devastating counterattack ruins Fletcher’s day, and forces Nimitz to order Halsey to disengage.

Captain Harada devises a plan of attack against Kirov using a combination of land and carrier based aircraft with Takami positioned in a protected bay to use its missiles to the best effect.

Historical Indian Ocean Raid in April of 1942. In the altered history, Somerville is caught east of Ceylon and suffers severe losses when Hara’s carriers engage, though his cruisers are not sunk as in the historical outcome, and Hermes is not engaged.

Coming Nov 1st

The Action in the Pacific continues with 1943, the entire novel dedicated to the Pacific Theater. Admiral Halsey returns, and with him come three friends, the first three Essex Class carriers rushed out of the shipyards and into service to meet the emergency situation in the Pacific. Now, with five fleet carriers, he moves to challenge the Japanese fleet in a bold new offensive. As MacArthur takes over command of the ground battle in the Fijis, the Marines are withdrawn to reorganize for an attack into the New Hebrides at Efate. Operating to attack the small American outpost at Ndeni in the Santa Cruz Islands and then cover the transfer of reinforcements to Fiji, the Kido Butai runs into Halsey’s operation and the Fighting Admiral again has a chance to show his worth.

OTHER KIROV SERIES BATTLE BOOKS

Foxbane: The War in the Desert, Volume I

In a move that stunned Great Britain in 1940, the Germans launched a daring operation to seize the vaunted Rock of Gibraltar and Malta. Now Erwin Rommel leads the Afrika Korps in a bid to conquer all of Egypt and knock England out of the war. But a strange event in the year 2021 sends the Great Grandsons of the Desert Rats back through time to pose a bold new challenge. Soon the hunter becomes the hunted, as the Desert Fox struggles for his very survival in this exciting alternate history of WWII.  Loaded with action, this book presents 58 chapters of all the action from the German Operation Felix attack on Gibraltar, the daring attack on Malta, the opening moves in North Africa with O'Connor's Raid, the Battle of Beda Fomm, and Operation Sonnenblume, Rommel's first offensive. Then, in the midst of the fighting, General O'Connor goes missing, and a desperate search and rescue operation is mounted. Fate takes the search team to a unexpected rendezvous in the deep desert, where a strange event in the midst of a new war in 2021 has displaced the modern British 7th Armored Brigade back in time to 1941. As Rommel drives east towards Alexandria, he is soon confronted by a powerful new enemy that becomes the bane of the Desert Fox from that day forward. At the battle of Bir el Khamsa, modern day Challenger II tanks and Warrior AFVs confront the cream of Rommel's Afrika Korps.  But we're just getting started! Foxbane then continues as Rommel receives powerful new reinforcements to launch a bold attack on Tobruk. The fighting continues as the British launch their own counteroffensives in Operation Crusader, and finally Operation Supercharge, where the Desert Rats seek to push Rommel back to Tripoli. Here is all the great desert war action extracted from the massive 24 volume Kirov Series novels by John Schettler, re-edited by the author and presented in one continuous file spanning 58 chapters. (Over 175,000 words). This is military fiction at its absolute finest, an alternate history so convincing that you’ll believe it actually happened!

Available now: Foxbane

5.5” x 8.5” Quality Trade Paperback – 550 Pages – $19.99

Kindle File – $4.99

Vendetta

Vladimir Karpov… surely irrepressible, deceitful, conniving, duplicitous, egocentric and yes, disloyal. His inner drive to make something greater of himself, whether bordering on the maniacal or not, has also made him a formidable ally in the war against the dark forces of the Axis powers. In combat he can be heartless, even cruel, and coldly heedless of the consequences of his own actions. To those that make him an enemy, beware.

Ivan Volkov was one such man. An officer in the modern Russian Naval Intelligence service, he stumbles down a stairway in an old railway inn at the village of Ilanskiy, and finds himself marooned in 1908! There he slowly rises to power in the White movement of the Russian Revolution, forging his private little empire in Central Asia which he comes to call the Orenburg Federation. Now the two great villains of the Kirov Series meet as arch rivals in a long vendetta and struggle to control one of the most strategically important sites on earth… Ilanskiy.

The material that creates this novel was extracted from their long running subplot in the Kirov Saga, spanning 17 different books, and assembled and re-edited here into one continuous and uninterrupted narrative, with “outtakes,” extended scenes, and occasional new material. Consider it the “Director’s Cut” for this long intriguing subplot, all things Ilanskiy, the mystery, the mayhem, the parachute jumps, commando raids, ground assaults, and oh yes, the Zeppelins!

Available now: Vendetta

5.5” x 8.5” Quality Trade Paperback – 524 Pages – $19.99

Kindle File – $4.99

Argos Fire

The odyssey of the long running series subplot involving the Argos Fire is now concentrated into one interrupted story line, but with major new additions. Elena Fairchild, the keeper of the mysterious keys that seem to secure entrances to hidden fissures in time, is joined by Captain MacRae, Mack Morgan, and the crew of the Argos Fire as they skirt the edge of war in 2021, and find themselves delivered to the heart and fire of WWII by the workings of a strange device they recover from an ancient shrine.

This volume will also include a great deal of all new material never published in the main Kirov Series, including the continuation of the mystery involving the Keyholder’s Saga featuring the story of the Duke of Elvington’s surprising quest to the eve of the Battle of Waterloo that began on Lindisfarne Island. That narrative is extended to reveal true goal of the Duke’s journey to 1815. It soon dovetails into Fairchild’s desperate search to find the key that was lost on the Battleship Rodney, including the return of Professor Paul Dorland, and the secret that lies beneath St. Michael’s Cave on Gibraltar will soon be revealed. Mystery and intrigue are interspersed with more all new scenes, making this volume a must have for all series fans. Coming Soon…

MORE TO COME:

The Kirov Battle Book Series will also present all the action from the east front, beginning with the German sortie by the Admiral Scheer into the Kara Sea that precedes the outbreak of hostilities. Then Operation Barbarossa begins, leading eventually to the battles of Smolensk, the Kirov Pocket, Operation Typhoon, Mtsensk, Tula, the advance and battle for Moscow. The Russian Winter counteroffensive of 1941 continues the action, and subsequent volumes will present all of Operation Blue, the Drive on Volgograd, action at Voronezh, and the Russian Winter Offensive of 1942.

KIROV SERIES:

The Kirov Saga: Season One

Kirov – Kirov Series – Volume 1

Cauldron of Fire – Kirov Series – Volume 2

Pacific Storm – Kirov Series – Volume 3

Men of War – Kirov Series – Volume 4

Nine Days Falling – Kirov Series – Volume 5

Fallen Angels – Kirov Series – Volume 6

Devil’s Garden – Kirov Series – Volume 7

Armageddon – Kirov Series – Volume 8

The Kirov Saga: Season Two ~ 1940-1941

Altered States – Kirov Series – Volume 9

Darkest Hour– Kirov Series – Volume 10

Hinge of Fate– Kirov Series – Volume 11

Three Kings – Kirov Series – Volume 12

Grand Alliance – Kirov Series – Volume 13

Hammer of God – Kirov Series – Volume 14

Crescendo of Doom – Kirov Series – Volume 15

Paradox Hour – Kirov Series – Volume 16

The Kirov Saga: Season Three ~1942

Doppelganger – Kirov Series – Volume 17

Nemesis – Kirov Series – Volume 18

Winter Storm – Kirov Series – Volume 19

Tide of Fortune – Kirov Series – Volume 20

Knight’s Move – Kirov Series – Volume 21

Turning Point – Kirov Series – Volume 22

Steel Reign – Kirov Series – Volume 23

Second Front – Kirov Series – Volume 24

The Kirov Saga: Season Four ~1943

Tigers East – Kirov Series – Volume 25

Thor’s Anvil – Kirov Series – Volume 26

1943 – Kirov Series – Volume 27

Copyright

~ ~ ~

A publication of: The Writing Shop Press

Sea of Fire, Copyright©2016, John A. Schettler

Content

Kirov Saga:
SEA OF FIRE
An alternate history of the Pacific War
Volume II
by
John Schettler

Author’s Note:

Part I Down the Rabbit Hole

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Part II All or Nothing

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Part III Resurrection

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Part IV Fool’s Paradise

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Part V In for a Penny

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Part VI Hook, Line and Sinker

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Part VII Developments

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Part VIII Combinations

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Part IX Endgame

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Part X High Tide

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Part XI The 5th of May

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Part XII Presentiment

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Part XIII Reap the Whirlwind

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Part XIV Tiger by the Tail

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Part XV Achilles & Hector

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Part XVI Cherry Blossoms

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Part XVII Operation C

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Chapter 51

Part XVIII Pearl of Great Price

Chapter 52

Chapter 53

Chapter 54

Maps

Coming Nov 1st

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