Battering Ram of the Sea

FIRST BATTLE OF THE INDIAN OCEAN | Chapter 29

A Request from Germany

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While achieving a tactical victory, they suffered a strategic defeat. This is the evaluation of Operation MO or the Battle of the Coral Sea by the Imperial Japanese Navy's upper echelons.

In February 1942, the 1st Air Fleet, which took part in Operation MO, engaged in combat with the intercepting American task force. They sank the Yorktown and Hornet and defeated the Enterprise, achieving remarkable results. However, they failed to capture the vital Port Moresby while having the Shōkaku, Zuikaku, and Sōryū disabled. If they had defeated the US task force and captured Port Moresby at that time, Australia might have negotiated a separate peace with Japan. However, it is now a mere speculation.

The miscalculation for the Combined Fleet command and the 1st Air Fleet headquarters was the participation of the USS Enterprise. Despite taking six 250-kilogram bomb hits, it completed repairs in just two months and appeared before the 1st Air Fleet with its readiness restored. If the Enterprise had not been there, the achievements of the 1st Air Fleet would have been much greater, the losses would have been minimal, and the capture of Port Moresby would have likely been accomplished.

"Shōkaku, hit by three bombs, took three months, and Zuikaku, hit by two bombs, also took three months. Sōryū, which was hit only once and in a fortunate spot, took one month."

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet, heaved a deep sigh to himself at the magnitude of the damage to the aircraft carriers. It hadn't been three months since the start of the war. Nevertheless, of the six regular aircraft carriers that were prepared before the war, Akagi and Kaga had already been sunk, and in this battle, Shōkaku, Zuikaku, and Sōryū were damaged. In addition, the small aircraft carrier Ryūjō had been sunk by American carrier-based aircraft last year. As for immediately deployable aircraft carriers, apart from Hiryū, there were only small ones like Zuihō. Shōhō was also available, but she had been completed only recently and had not completed training, so it couldn't be counted as a combat force for some time.

'In this situation, and now they want us to deploy to the Indian Ocean immediately? I wish they'd give us a break.'

As soon as Singapore fell on February 15, Adolf Hitler, the Führer of Germany, immediately requested the Imperial Navy to advance into the Indian Ocean and seize control of the area. If the Imperial Navy were to establish control over the Indian Ocean, the impact on the United Kingdom, which depends heavily on trade with India, would be immeasurable. Additionally, the Soviet Union, which receives war resources from the United States via the Persian Corridor, would also face significant difficulties. Most importantly, with the consecutive failures of the Eastern Fleet and the loss of Singapore, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who was already in a political crisis, could face an even worse situation if he were to lose the Indian Ocean. Perhaps Hitler's main goal lies in this area.

Certainly, Germany is not trying to exploit the Combined Fleet for nothing. According to Hitler, once the Combined Fleet seizes the Indian Ocean, Germany, in collaboration with Italy, plans to launch an offensive in the Mediterranean and Egypt. Furthermore, upon successfully opening the Suez Canal and establishing a Europe-Japan communication line, Germany promised to provide electrical equipment, machine tools, and even the technological transfer of advanced weapons to the Imperial Navy. Of course, these promises are not entirely without strings attached, and some of it is expected to involve barter trade with the natural resources produced in the south.

Unlike the Combined Fleet headquarters struggling with a lack of military power, the Navy Ministry and the General Staff were enthusiastic about Hitler's proposal. The Navy Ministry, which oversees military administration, naturally desires stronger coordination with Germany, and the General Staff is eager to obtain the latest production facilities, machine tools, and, above all, knowledge of advanced weaponry. Particularly, since the beginning of the war, the General Staff recognized the urgent need for detection equipment, in other words, the radar and sonar technology held by Germany, which is clearly lagging behind Western nations, in the intensifying battle with the United States.

To make matters more intriguing, even the Imperial Japanese Army has been exerting pressure on the Imperial Navy to take action in the Indian Ocean. The Army's stance is that if the Navy controls the Indian Ocean, they can cut off support to Chiang Kai-shek. As the Army also fervently urges, from their perspective, the Navy's dominance in the Indian Ocean could cut off the supply route to Chiang Kai-shek, and they are pushing for it. On this matter, there's a possibility that Germany is pulling the strings behind the scenes. In any case, if all organizations except the Combined Fleet are inclined towards an Indian Ocean operation, even Yamamoto cannot oppose it.

So, it was decided to launch an operation to strike the strategically important locations of Colombo and Trincomalee in the Indian Ocean and seize control of the area. The operation is planned to take place from late March to early April when the necessary forces are ready. The main aircraft carriers for this operation will be the undamaged Hiryū and Zuihō since the beginning of the war, as well as the Sōryū, which should have completed repairs, and the Shōhō, which has completed training.