After destroying the Pacific Fleet in the Battle of the Marshall Islands, the ships of the First Fleet, 2nd Air Fleet, and 3rd Air Fleet returned to the mainland and entered into repair or maintenance simultaneously. The officers and enlisted were granted a slightly delayed New Year holiday.
The 1st Fleet also returned to the mainland ahead of them. Unlike the 2nd and 3rd Air Fleets, the 1st Air Fleet had been deployed in the southern operations. Immediately after the outbreak of the war, the 1st Air Fleet annihilated the US Navy's aviation forces in the Philippines and continued to show its might in the southern theater.
The southern operations are still ongoing. However, with the deployment of base air squadrons in that theater, the 1st Air Fleet was relieved of its duties before the year-end. Even with the 1st Air Fleet withdrawn, there are four fast battleships, one or two heavy cruisers, and numerous light cruisers and destroyers operating in the southern theater against the relatively weak ABDACOM fleet. This is more than sufficient as a defense force.
The First Fleet has completed the repair of damaged ships, and the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Air Fleets have also replenished the lost aircraft and crew. In February, these four fleets will set sail one after another, heading southeast.
First Fleet
- Battleships Nagato, Mutsu, Ise, Hyūga, Yamashiro, Fusō
- Heavy cruisers Kumano, Suzuya, Mogami, Mikuma
- Light cruisers Naka, Kitakami, Ōi
- Destroyers Yukikaze, Hatsukaze, Amatsukaze, Tokitsukaze, Urakaze, Isokaze, Hamakaze, Tanikaze, Nowaki, Arashi, Hagikaze, Maikaze, Kuroshio, Oyashio, Hayashio, Natsushio
1st Air Fleet
- Akagi (54 × A6Ms, 27 × Type 0s)
- Kaga (54 × A6Ms, 27 × Type 0s)
- Ryūjō (27 × A6Ms, 6 × Type 0s)
- Zuihō (27 × A6Ms, 3 × Type 0s)
- Shōhō (27 × A6Ms, 3 × Type 0s)
- Ryūhō (27 × A6Ms, 3 × Type 0s)
- Light cruisers Naruse, Kase
- Destroyers Yamazuki, Urazuki, Aogumo, Benigumo, Harugumo, Amagumo, Yaegumo, Fuyugumo, Yukigumo
2nd Air Fleet
- Hiryū (30 × A6Ms, 30 × Type 0s)
- Sōryū (30 × A6Ms, 30 × Type 0s)
- Unryū (30 × A6Ms, 30 × Type 0s)
- Hakuryū (30 × A6Ms, 30 × Type 0s)
- Sekiryū (30 × A6Ms, 30 × Type 0s)
- Heavy cruiser Tone
- Light cruiser Ayase
- Destroyers Akizuki, Teruzuki, Suzutsuki, Hatsuzuki, Niizuki, Wakatsuki, Shimotsuki, Fuyuzuki
3rd Air Fleet
- Shōkaku (36 × A6Ms, 42 × Type 0s)
- Zuikaku (36 × A6Ms, 42 × Type 0s)
- Kamikaku (36 × A6Ms, 42 × Type 0s)
- Amakaku (36 × A6Ms, 42 × Type 0s)
- Heavy cruiser Chikuma
- Light cruiser Takase
- Destroyers Harutsuki, Yoizuki, Natsuzuki, Hanazuki, Michitzuki, Kiyotsuki, Ōtsuki, Hazuki
The four fleets aiming for Oahu were equipped with 15 aircraft carriers, 6 battleships, 13 cruisers, and 41 destroyers. They also have a total of 897 carrier-based aircraft.
Among these, the First Fleet acts as the vanguard of the task force to protect the aircraft carriers and may, depending on the situation, conduct ship-to-shore artillery fire on Oahu. The remaining three task forces have different roles. The 2nd and 3rd Air Fleets serve as a counterforce against the Pacific Fleet, while the 1st Air Fleet is tasked with the destruction of Oahu's air units.
Overall command was held by Vice Admiral Shirō Takasu, the commander of the First Fleet, while Vice Admiral Chūichi Nagumo of the 1st Air Fleet was in charge of air operations. However, Nagumo had given Vice Admiral Jisaburō Ozawa of the 2nd Air Fleet a free hand, and he also delegated command to the 3rd Air Fleet. This division of responsibilities creates a clear structure for the task forces: Nagumo was responsible for the attack on Oahu, and Ozawa was responsible for dealing with the Pacific Fleet.
One significant change in the task forces since the start of the war is the composition of carrier-based aircraft. The five carriers of the 2nd Air Fleet and the combined seven regular carriers, including Akagi and Kaga, have increased the ratio of combat aircraft. This was done primarily with the aim of destroying the Oahu air units. The mission itself is similar to the southern operations that faced the US Navy's air force. However, the strength of the US Navy's air units in Oahu and the southern operations is different. Therefore, the number of Zero fighters had to be increased, even at the cost of reduced attack power.
On the other hand, the focus on combat aircraft for the 2nd Air Fleet was based on the lessons learned from the Battle of the Marshall Islands. In that battle, the 2nd and 3rd Air Fleets engaged three US aircraft carriers: Enterprise, Lexington, and Saratoga. At that time, the nine carriers of the 2nd and 3rd Air Fleets had a total of 117 Zero fighters for air cover. While it seemed sufficient, the air defense battle turned out to be intense. If the Pacific Fleet had one more carrier, the air defense network would have collapsed. If that had happened, multiple carriers might have been lost. Therefore, Hiryū, Sōryū, and the three Unryū-class carriers each increased their Zero fighter complement for six aircraft more while reducing the number of attack planes.
In addition, to support these four task forces, there are 20 oil tankers operating under the protection of escort vessels. Half of these oil tankers were built with funding from Binta Satsutaba, who felt a sense of crisis about the Imperial Navy's obsession with front-line equipment and used his considerable financial resources to accelerate their construction. Without Binta's economic support, the attack on Oahu might have ended in empty words.
Other forms of support are also well-developed. Information support is one of the significant ones. To ensure the safest possible route for the four task forces, the Imperial Navy has implemented thorough forward patrol measures using submarines and large flying boats. As a result, it was already known that the US military had withdrawn forces from Wake Island and Midway. Furthermore, Japanese submarines deployed around Hawaii continued to provide information about enemy forces. According to this information, the fleet gathered around Oahu Island consisted of seven to eight battleships, and there were three to four aircraft carriers. In addition to this, numerous cruisers and destroyers were confirmed, and their numbers were increasing.
Despite only a month and a half passing since the Battle of the Marshall Islands, the United States military had prepared forces equivalent to or even surpassing those of the previous conflict. It was truly a recovery of almost supernatural speed. However, on the other hand, the upper echelons of the Imperial Navy understood that this might be the US military's last resort. If they could defeat the fleet gathered around Oahu, the US Navy would not be able to operate effectively until they completed the construction of new ships after the arms reduction treaty.
Conversely, the same can be said for Japan. If this operation were to fail, and the First Fleet, 1st Air Fleet, 2nd Air Fleet, and 3rd Air Fleet suffered devastating damage, Japan's defeat would be almost certain at that point.
It was a battle where neither side could afford to lose. The countdown to the beginning of the battle was ticking, and time was running out for both sides.
YOU ARE READING
Cash-Loaded Fleet
Historical Fiction「As long as you have money, you can strengthen the fleet as much as you want.」 Born with a natural inclination for gambling, or perhaps a true gambler at heart, Binta Satsutaba is drawn by his instincts to immerse himself in the tumultuous world of...
