Chapter 19, Surprise Attack on Etajima (Part 2)
However, for President Takeo Kurita, an old navy man, he no longer cares about how miserable the Army Red Deer was bombed. Because another piece of bad news came that made him even more distressed: the fourth Yamato-class ship Kii, which was under construction at the Kure Naval Shipyard, was blown up!
As the final decisive weapon of the Japanese Empire, the Yamato-type battleship should have four sisters according to the original plan: Yamato, Musashi, Shinano and Kii. When the Pacific War broke out, only the first ship Yamato was launched into service. Later, Musashi and Shinano were also completed and shipped out of the factory. Because the search for Nanyang was very fruitful, the financial resources and materials were quite abundant, and the performance of the Yamato-class ships on the Nanyang battlefield was amazing, so the fifth Yamato-class battleship Mino was started at the Navy Yard of Yokosuka Fort. The ship was finally launched into service this spring and sailed to the Indian Ocean to participate in the Battle of Bombay.
On the contrary, the No. 4 ship Kii at the Kugang Naval Factory first had to free up the slipway to build an aircraft carrier and a fast troop transport ship, which delayed the start of construction. Later, a bunch of messy accidents happened, and as a result, the construction progress fell behind the No. 5 ship Mino. The delay has continued until now. The hull is finally 98% complete. It seems that only a few finishing procedures are needed. I went into the water, but I didn’t want to encounter this big bombing by the US military!
Obviously, the U.S. forces that have landed in Japan have quite accurate information about the internal situation of the Imperial Japanese Navy. During the air raid, they obviously made the Wu Gang Naval Factory, where the Kii battleship was being built, the number one bombing target... There were fifteen bombing targets before and after. A 12,000-pound "seismic bomb" nicknamed the "Goblet" hit the Wugang Navy Yard. Together with other incendiary bombs and poison gas bombs, more than a thousand workers were killed alone.
Three of the "seismic bombs" accurately hit the Kii under construction. The huge kinetic energy and powerful explosion yield caused the warship that had not yet been launched to the water to be immediately shattered, and the entire hull was dug out. Three terrifying holes. Especially at the rear stern, not only was the No. 3 main turret turned into steel garbage, but a huge hole was cut underneath, blasting through three decks and shaking the engine piping inside into a mess.
Fortunately, the battleship has not been launched yet and does not contain any fuel or ammunition. Otherwise, the explosion of oil bombs alone would turn the ship into a steel twist.
When Principal Takeo Kurita hurriedly came to inspect the situation, he stood in the factory with the fireworks still going out and asked the factory director if the repair and construction of the Kii could still be completed. The factory director shook his head sadly, "... It's impossible, Your Excellency. To repair this damage and complete this ship, I need wartime. Sixteen cooperative companies including the headquarters, the Navy Ministry, the Naval Administration Headquarters, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and more than 3,000 supporting manufacturers providing parts...Only a complete Japanese Empire can build such a great warship. And now, the Empire. Only a few broken remains are left.”
In this regard, Principal Takeo Kurita could not even think about it except sighing...
After inspecting the Kure Naval Factory, which was almost in ruins, and encouraging the rescue teams who were digging for survivors in the ruins, Kurita Takeo was about to go to the field hospital to see if President Ozawa Jisaburo of the Naval University was awake, but suddenly I remembered something very important:
The new commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet, who broke into his office just before the US plane bombed, somehow suddenly ran from Truk Atoll to the Etajima Naval War School, Admiral Narumi Inoue, where is he now?
※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※
One of the safest places in the entire Etajima sea area, aboard the legendary destroyer Yukikaze with its own auspicious aura, the new commander of the combined fleet, Admiral Narumi Inoue, and a large group of people crowded around the current captain Masamichi Terauchi with nervous and serious expressions. In the captain's room of the lieutenant colonel.
According to the introduction of our ship's wife, Ms. Yukikaze, Comrade Wang Qiu, who claims to be the "Commissioner of the Communist International", is operating the Doraemon plane black technology prop [mini reconnaissance satellite] here, using the photos taken by the satellite to These people showed the size and location of the incoming US fleet.
In fact, Admiral Halsey had no intention of hiding his fleet at all. From the beginning, he had the idea of a head-on attack. Unfortunately, after the collapse of the Japanese Imperial Government, the intelligence capabilities of the remaining Japanese troops in the Hiroshima area were really pathetic. Even when fighting on their own soil, they were completely blind and unaware of the intrusion of the US military. This allowed the naval aviation of Halsey's fleet to achieve the miraculous effect of a surprise attack.
"... there are twenty-six regular aircraft carriers and light aircraft carriers, thirty-eight escort aircraft carriers, twelve battleships, twenty cruisers, more than one hundred destroyers and frigates each, plus at least one hundred auxiliary ships, hidden in We don’t know how many submarines there are below the surface of the water..."
Looking at the rows of giant steel ships covering the sea on the screen, Wang Qiu couldn't help but feel slightly moved: He knew very well how powerful the military industrial production capacity of the United States of America during World War II could be after it was fully mobilized. How despairing.
In another world, the Americans mobilized a huge army of 12 million during World War II. While they were flying thousands of tanks and tens of thousands of aircraft on the European battlefield, they were separated by the Himalayas. Give blood to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek's mud-like Nationalist government, and at the same time organize the Liberty Ship fleet to sail the North Pacific and Indian Ocean routes, using hundreds of ships to provide material assistance The Soviet Iron Man, in addition to piling up dozens or hundreds of aircraft carriers and countless landing ships in the Pacific, used strategic bombings that burned down a city every week and atomic bomb blasts to teach the Japanese how to behave... In the end, the ferocious Japanese devils were finally tortured from wolves to dogs, forcing these island country dwarfs to degenerate into cuteness skills...
In this time and space, the U.S. military has basically ceased fire in the European battlefield for more than half a year, leaving only limited expenses to assist the United Kingdom. The entire United States' war machine at full power has overwhelmingly overwhelmed the Japanese with most of its power. It seems normal for Admiral Halsey to be able to quickly assemble such a huge fleet on the other side of the Pacific and deliver a fatal blow to the remaining local Japanese forces with the overwhelming force of thunder.
On the other side, although the reconnaissance effect of the [Mini Reconnaissance Satellite] has amazed the Japanese naval officers, but for them who already know the existence of the ship girl and have witnessed many miracles, even if the [Mini Reconnaissance Satellite] No matter how amazing the principles and functions of 】 are, they are still a bit numb. After all, they don't quite understand the difficulty of launching satellites into orbit, but they have seen a huge factory born in the wilderness... Instead of caring about these technical issues, it is better to study and judge the current war situation. This is Something more important and fatal.
In short, General Inoue Narumi turned around and took out a ruler and map. He made a rough calculation and found that the U.S. Naval Air Force launched an air attack on Kure Port from Tosa Bay. Even if it had to cross Shikoku Island and the Seto Inland Sea, the straight-line distance would only be about 200 kilometers. This may have been a very long distance in ancient times, but in the battle between naval aviation in World War II, it was only a journey of more than half an hour for the bomber formation to fly, and it was not an obstacle at all.
As for the U.S. Army B-29 four-engine strategic bomber formation that simultaneously bombed Kure Port, Etajima and Hiroshima, according to reconnaissance, they all took off from the Japanese mainland, Tokyo, Yokohama, Chiba or Sendai, which have been occupied by the US military. Wugang is less than a thousand kilometers away. Moreover, it was a traditional and prosperous place in modern Japan. Even if Tokyo suffered a nuclear explosion, there would still be many civilian and military airports left, with ready-made towers, hangars and oil depots. The U.S. military only needs to slightly repair and strengthen the runway, or lengthen the runway, and then use a fleet to pull the fuel and ammunition there, and then let the B-29 take off from Midway or Hawaii to transfer, then it will be a ready-made air attack base. Well, maybe even aviation gasoline can be used with the leftover Japanese products!
Although it is not known whether the Japanese troops in the eastern region had time to destroy the airport and oil depot before retreating or evacuating. But even if they really do this, with the engineering capabilities of the US military, they can just lay the floor with steel plates and lay quick-drying cement, and the repair will only take a day or two...
Thinking of this, General Inoue Narumi couldn't help but feel a sense of despair: With such a huge disparity in strength and disunity among our own side, how could we fight this battle?
However, Lieutenant Colonel Masamichi Terauchi, the captain of the Yukikaze, paid more attention to another aspect of the matter: "...such a huge American fleet is deployed in Tosa Bay, south of Shikoku Island? It is less than 20 kilometers away from the coast. ! And we don’t know anything! Are all the people in Kochi County dead? ”
He waved his fists excitedly, "...As long as a plane takes off, a fishing boat goes out to sea, no, even as long as a high-power telescope is set up on the mountain by the sea, the enemy's situation should be able to be discovered! Even if they are really too slow and numb. The level of rescue is good, but after the air raid started yesterday and we saw so many planes flying overhead, Kochi Prefecture should at least use the radio to warn us.”
"...Oh, I'm afraid the people in Kochi County know everything, but they just haven't thought of telling others! Especially the naval fleet in Wu Port!"
"Elementary school student" Ship Girl Sophie Yukikaze shrugged and said, "...According to the communication I just intercepted, Kochi County had learned at least the day before yesterday that there was a very large American fleet not far from the southern coast. Wandering, before the air raid started yesterday morning, the county governor also issued a warning notice to all cities and towns in Kochi Prefecture, ordering fishermen in the county to never go to sea, but it seemed that he did not even think of alerting the navy here in Kure Port. "< br>
"...How could this be possible?! What a bunch of damn non-nationals!" A young naval staff officer heard this and his eyes turned red with anger.
"...Haha, even the Japanese Empire is gone now, so where is the distinction between nationals and non-citizens?"
Xuefeng Loli curled her lips, "...If it were normal times, of course this kind of thing would have to be reported directly to the Tokyo headquarters, otherwise it would be a crime of dereliction of duty. But now Tokyo has been razed to the ground, and the emperor and the cabinet have been reduced to ashes. , where should the Kochi Prefectural Office report? Moreover, Kochi Prefecture and Hiroshima Prefecture have no affiliation. They are not even neighboring counties. One is on Shikoku Island and the other is on Honshu Island. If we can remind Wu Gang, it is a selfless help, but even if we remain silent and pretend to be deaf, we cannot say that we have done something wrong. Besides, the people on Shikoku Island cannot be sure that this American fleet is here to attack Wu Gang. Yes! Maybe they are preparing for an air raid on Kyoto or Osaka? In that case, it is better to do more than to do less, just keep your mouth shut."
"...This is still thinking on the bright side. If a worse situation occurs, some counties and cities may have secretly colluded with the US military! Otherwise, how could the US military dare to be so confident and bold to bring the fleet so close to the coast? Don't say it's impossible! Don't forget, even as the emperor The remnants of the Imperial Guards Division have now sold themselves to the "Japanese Provisional Government" in Yokohama, regardless of the hatred of their country and family, and have become lackeys of the US military. How can we expect other citizens to still fight loyally? " General Inoue Narumi said quietly with a gloomy face.
——Situations like this have also occurred in Japanese history. As a nation accustomed to obeying the strong, the Japanese are as famous for their ability to adapt to the wind as they are for their unyielding determination. When the Overthrow War broke out and the outcome was decided at the Battle of Fushimi Toba, the Meiji court's thousands of Eastern Expedition troops fought all the way from Kyoto to Edo without losing a single blow. The selected group of hundreds of people fought hard. So many other castles and vassal states on the Tokaido Road surrendered without a fight. In the end, even the Edo shogunate took the initiative to kneel down.
When people of later generations talk about the past events at the end of the shogunate, they often talk about the fighting between the Shinsengumi and the reformers, but they rarely think carefully about why during the shogunate period, those Tokugawa retainers and noble family members who inherited from the Warring States Period The descendants of famous families, such as the descendants of the "Tokugawa Four Heavenly Kings", and even the heads of feudal clans named Tokugawa and Matsudaira, all knelt down faster than the other when the building was about to collapse. On the contrary, the Shinsengumi, a group of "temporary workers" who had been recruited by the shogunate for just a few years, fought until the last moment under the banner of the shogunate in the ice and snow of Hokkaido?
The reason is simple. When faced with adversity, the bones of those with vested interests are always the softest, even if they took advantage of the old system. In fact, it is precisely because they have too many things in their hands that they believe they will not lose everything even if the dynasty changes. Therefore, they are always keen to exchange the fate and future of the country and nation for personal gain, and even dream of using the butcher knife of the invaders to eliminate them. Others of the same kind take their power to the next level.
The same is true today. After the nuclear explosion in Tokyo, facing the American Halsey Fleet coming across the ocean, there were indeed Japanese cities that took the initiative to resist the US invasion, but there were not many. In total, they were Nagoya and Hiroshima. , Kyoto and several others, and to a large extent they were hijacked by radical soldiers. The attitude of most other prefectures, cities and local governments in Japan has so far been silent, so silent that it is almost scary.
Even the fighting will of the local army seemed questionable. The Halsey fleet had previously raided major cities along the eastern coast of Japan. At most, Japanese anti-aircraft artillery units and aviation forces on the ground would only resist when bombers approached, and no pursuit was ever organized.
As for the Japanese submarines, torpedo boats and destroyers scattered in various ports in the Northeast, they have not carried out any decent sneak attacks or counterattacks. They have not even taken the initiative to go to sea to engage in breaking engagements and attack the US military's maritime logistics transportation lines. They have only scrambled to move to the rear far away from the US military. Run wildly.
There are also wealthy conglomerates such as Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Sumitomo, etc., which have completely lost their shame. They are rushing to join the "Japanese Provisional Government" that advocates surrender and act as doglegs for the Americans in order to protect their wealth... Therefore, the assembly The hundreds of thousands of Japanese Imperial Navy and Army troops in Hiroshima looked around with sorrow and indignation, only to find that they were simply in a foreign country, instead of fighting the enemy in their own homeland.
There was no nationwide resistance, nor was there any national defeat. There was only the chaotic and spontaneous resistance of a few soldiers.
Comparing it with history, it feels like after the destruction of a certain feudal lord during Japan's Warring States period hundreds of years ago, its remnants either stayed dormant and watched, or defected and surrendered, or issued a proclamation and launched an army to avenge the master's family, while the vast majority of the people stood aside Looking at the excitement from the sidelines, it’s basically the same.
"...According to the news I heard, the situation in Nagoya and Kyoto is also very bad. A U.S. Marine Corps has landed in Shizuoka City at the foot of Mount Fuji and is about to launch an attack on the 65th Division guarding Nagoya Attack. The Nagoya defenders rushed to repair the fortifications while asking for help from everywhere, but various places in the mainland They all responded with silence. Although Major General Tsuji Masanobu's anti-traitor army was willing to support them in Kyoto, they had only mobilized less than 3,000 troops these days, and there was no way to raise firearms and ammunition. Major General Tsuji Masanobu flew in the day before yesterday. Come to Hiroshima, hoping to get help from the Kwantung Army.”
After a moment of silence, Lieutenant Colonel Masamichi Terauchi, the captain of the Yukikaze, added, "...It's a pity, looking at Hiroshima's current state of being bombed to pieces, regarding Kyoto's request for help and the war in Nagoya, The Kwantung Army and the Korean Army are probably powerless.”
"...Now that we know the location of the US mobile fleet (i.e. aircraft carrier formation), can't we launch a counterattack?"
A naval staff officer knocked on the table angrily, "...Although there are no aircraft carriers in Kure Port, there are still shore-based aviation forces with thousands of aircraft, and there is also a modified aircraft carrier Condor in the Sasebo garrison! Nothing can be done Have you been beaten passively? ”
"...I'm afraid it's difficult. After the air attack, the U.S. aircraft carrier mobile fleet retreated eastward one after another. What was displayed on the screen just now was a photo from twelve hours ago. Now they should have reached the south of the Kii Peninsula, beyond The strike range of the Wugang naval aviation force has been reduced.”
Wang Qiu shrugged and replied, "...Besides, with the number of carrier aircraft and the density of air defense firepower in this US fleet, the bombers and torpedo planes sent from Wugang may not be able to break through the opponent's air defense circle at all. You will be beaten down by the Americans like a turkey.”
"...Indeed, the quality of local pilots cannot be compared with the Nanyang front line. If submarines were sent out for an ambush in advance, there might be some gains, but Kurita did nothing... What's more important is that we probably didn't do anything at all. The navy, army and aviation forces here in Hiroshima cannot be commanded.”
General Narumi Inoue said with a darker expression, "...No matter from which point of view, they have no obligation to obey our command." Then, Wang Qiu discovered a new enemy situation on the screen: "...Well, according to the new According to the satellite photos taken, the B-29 'Super Fortress' bomber formation deployed by the US military in Chiba Prefecture seemed to have been dispatched collectively a few hours ago! This time their bombing target was... Kyoto! ”
< br>