February 1942
10 Downing Street (official residence of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom)
London is the heart of the United Kingdom and a huge city with a population of 8,6 million. Despite its high latitude, it is said to be relatively mild in winter, thanks to the warm current. However, it is still cold in this season to some extent. The men participating in this conference, which will greatly influence the future of the country, hide their true feelings, but the discussion is very heated.
"I'm truly sorry, but as the highest-ranking officer in charge of the field, I must be clear. Prime Minister, as you inquired about the defense of the Indian Ocean, I must assert that it is impossible for the navy. The disparity in strength between the Eastern Fleet and the Combined Fleet is too great."
The Japanese Combined Fleet, which devastated the main US Navy fleets in the Marshall Islands and off the coast of Oahu, is undoubtedly going to target the Indian Ocean next. On the other hand, the British Royal Navy deployed the Eastern Fleet in the same area to protect the Indian Ocean, a powerful fleet consisting of three aircraft carriers and five battleships. However, even with this formidable fleet, they could not compete with the Combined Fleet, especially due to their weak naval aviation capabilities. They have fewer than 100 carrier-based aircraft, with only 36 of them being fighter planes. With such a small number, they would be easily overwhelmed by Japan's carrier-based air squadrons.
"I am aware, based on reports from the United States, that the Combined Fleet possesses formidable strength. They managed to bring the United States Navy to a state of near annihilation in just a little over two months."
Prime Minister Winston Churchill nodded in agreement with First Sea Lord Alfred Pound's assessment that defending the Indian Ocean is impossible with the current capabilities. The US Navy suffered significant losses in both the Marshall Islands battle and the battle off the coast of Oahu, losing 16 battleships, 7 aircraft carriers, 27 cruisers, and 82 destroyers. Although these numbers are difficult to believe, the credibility of the damage reports is high.
Unfortunately, the US Navy is currently incapacitated, with only smaller vessels like destroyers still in service. However, the mainstay of the fleet, the large combat vessels, has been virtually wiped out.
"The main reason for the Americans' greatest defeat was the dispersion of its forces. If, hypothetically, the Pacific Fleet and the Atlantic Fleet had joined forces at that time, victory might have been difficult, but such a one-sided and devastating defeat would not have occurred."
Lord Pound's observations were convincing to Churchill. If the US Navy had deployed the 16 battleships, 7 aircraft carriers, 27 cruisers, and 82 destroyers it lost all at once, the Combined Fleet would not have escaped unscathed. In fact, it might have been the United States that emerged victorious.
"So, you are suggesting that we avoid the battle in the Indian Ocean to prevent repeating the same mistakes. But what do we do afterward?"
Churchill understood what Lord Pound was getting at. However, given the gravity of the situation, he needed to confirm it directly.
"We will gather the Home Fleet, the Eastern Fleet, the Mediterranean Fleet, and Force H for a decisive battle against the Combined Fleet. If each fleet fights separately, they will be individually defeated."
Lord Pound's words made sense. Concentrating military forces is a fundamental principle of warfare. However, it was challenging to achieve.
"What you say is reasonable, but if that's the case, both the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean will be left defenseless. For our country, which relies on trade and resources from India, this is a matter of life and death."
Churchill didn't voice it, but he believed that his own political life was truly at stake. He had confidently sent state-of-the-art battleships to Asia, only to see them sunk. Furthermore, what had been called the Gibraltar of the East, Singapore, had fallen recently. If they also lost the Indian Ocean, he could very well be ousted from his position as Prime Minister.
"Even if we lose the Indian trade route, we still have the route connecting our country and the United States. If it functions, the United Kingdom can continue the fight. However, that too depends on having the naval power to maintain control. If we lose the Eastern Fleet in vain, countering the Combined Fleet becomes truly impossible."
Churchill was aware of Adolf Hitler, the Führer of Germany, urging the Japanese navy to invade the Indian Ocean. Hitler was overjoyed when Japan's naval air squadrons sank two of the British warships, the Prince of Wales and the cruiser Repulse off the coast of Malay during the early stages of the war. Moreover, after the Battle of the Marshall Islands and the Battle of Oahu, Hitler's confidence in Japan's navy reached its zenith.
The tricky part is that because of this, Hitler turned his interest towards the Mediterranean. If he gains control of the Mediterranean Sea and seizes the Suez Canal, it will establish a route of communication with Japan. There's no need to think any further. Hitler will likely try to draw the Combined Fleet into the waters of Europe. Then, the Japanese Navy's mobile fleet will be sent to the waters around Britain. The mobile fleet, which excels in reconnaissance and attack capabilities far beyond U-boats, is a grim reaper for merchant ships. With the UK's food self-sufficiency rate being less than fifty percent, it would dry up in no time.
'The Eastern Fleet is already targeted by the Japanese Navy, and the Mediterranean Fleet is in the sights of the Italian fleet and the German air force.'
Churchill is aware that he's in a bind. His options are limited, and he has few cards to play. So, he must make a tough decision. Making decisions is the job of a leader.
"Can we win?"
In response to Churchill's brief question, Lord Pound did not answer directly but instead requested additional reinforcements.
"We would like to request 300 F4Fs from the United States and the same number of veteran fighter pilots to be transferred from the Air Force to the Navy."
The latest F4F Wildcat fighter aircraft is designed to have foldable wings, making them operable on narrow-decked British aircraft carriers. The American aircraft carriers that were supposed to carry these planes are now at the bottom of the ocean, so it should be possible to prioritize transferring this equipment here. The problem is with the 300 fighter pilots. It's clear that the Air Force will strongly oppose this.
However, Minister Churchill also understood that this was something that had to be done. In the battle off the coast of Oahu, the US military had over 400 fighter planes when combining land-based and carrier-based air squadrons. Still, they couldn't defeat the Combined Fleet. That's why Lord Pound wanted experienced fighter pilots. If numerical inferiority is their fate, the only way to compensate is to improve the quality.
"Let's handle the matter of the Wildcats and the pilots appropriately. Besides, it's not like the Combined Fleet will arrive in Europe today or tomorrow. We still have time. Let's do our best until then."
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