Drastically Modified Combined Fleet

Chapter 15 - Politics

Since the Russo-Japanese War, the Imperial Navy has postponed the upgrade of large surface combat vessels such as battleships and cruisers, focusing instead on strengthening maritime escort capabilities, various support units, the development of information communication networks, and the improvement of medical hygiene. Of course, concurrent efforts have been directed toward the development of new technologies and the stockpiling of fuel and ammunition. To ensure the most crucial aspect of reliability for weapons, improvements in often inconspicuous specifications such as waterproofing and rust prevention, but most importantly, have significantly increased the operational rates of naval vessels and aircraft. Various equipment, including emergency command devices, have not lagged far behind those in Europe and the United States, and in some cases, have even surpassed them. To strengthen the Imperial Navy and, above all, to protect the nation, predecessors devoted themselves tirelessly even in peacetime, giving their best efforts. However, humans are not perfect, and organizations are likewise imperfect. There was something lacking or deliberately kept at a distance in the Imperial Navy: politics.

"Soldiers should not be involved in politics."

Many Imperial Navy personnel adhered to this motto, considering it a virtue. Only a very small number, such as the Navy Minister and the Vice-Minister involved in military politics, were engaged in politics. However, on the other hand, the politically inexperienced Imperial Navy, due to its clumsiness in navigating the political stage, eventually became entangled in the quagmire of the Manchurian Incident, the Shanghai Incident, and the Sino-Japanese War, drawing in the Imperial Army and public opinion.

Ironically, despite this, the Imperial Navy, through the experience of actual combat, often gained valuable lessons. The overconfidence in performance, sending out the Type 96 land-based attack aircraft (Mitsubishi G3M) without fighter escorts, resulted in significant losses inflicted by Chinese fighter squadrons. This incident completely uprooted the budding theory within the navy that regarded fighters as unnecessary, leading to a new awareness that it is natural to escort bombers with fighters.

In the bombing of Hankou, dozens of aircraft were destroyed on the ground by the surprise attack of the Sino-Soviet combined air force, causing the loss of numerous valuable personnel in naval aviation, including officers. This bitter experience accelerated the research on radio direction finders capable of capturing enemies at much greater distances than traditional sonar or visual surveillance. Simultaneously, strategies were explored to reliably detect enemy presence and guide fighters to intercept them. These developments are expected to materialize in the near future as aviation control.

The aerial battles on the continent, including the bombing of Hankou, had a significant impact on the performance requirements for the Imperial Navy's fighter planes. Previously, emphasis was placed on dogfighting capabilities, but now acceleration, climb rate, and maximum speed have become crucial. No matter how good the turning performance was, it was futile if the aircraft couldn't catch up with the enemy. In fact, the excellent dogfighting capabilities of the Type 96 fighter (Mitsubishi A5M) repeatedly resulted in embarrassing situations due to its low speed performance, allowing Soviet high-speed bombers to escape.

Learning from this, the planned adoption of the Sakae engine or the Zuisei engine for the Type 12 prototype carrier-based fighter was adjusted to accommodate the Kinsei engine by relaxing requirements for endurance and wing loading. In addition, in response to the revealed inadequacy of the 7,7 mm machine gun against both twin-engine bombers and single-engine planes, the development of the 12,7 mm machine gun and the consideration of introducing similar weapons from other countries have become top-priority considerations.

Furthermore, due to the engine change for the Type 12 prototype carrier-based fighter, the design team, left with no flexibility, shifted the development of the Type 14 prototype land-based fighter to another manufacturer, intending to create the Type 15 prototype seaplane fighter. Although the development of the Type 15 prototype seaplane fighter was canceled due to this, the land-based fighter produced by the new manufacturer, with its high performance, is expected to be employed as a carrier-based fighter in the near future.

The aerial warfare in the war with China not only significantly changed the performance requirements of demanded aircraft but also had considerable effects on the personnel aspect. One contributing factor was the intense loss of aircrew in battles on the continent. Especially when large aircraft such as land-based bombers and flying boats were shot down, the loss could be substantial, ranging from seven to nearly ten personnel at once. While a fighter pilot could survive being shot down, considering the scarcity of fighter pilot talent, the impact was still significant.

In response, the Imperial Navy expanded its training aviation units to ensure an adequate supply of aircrew. No matter how superior the aircraft was, without skilled aircrew, its combat effectiveness could not be fully realized. Conversely, even with skilled aircrew, if their numbers were limited, significant expectations for combat effectiveness could not be held. Therefore, mass training of aircrew became imperative.

Furthermore, measures were taken concurrently to minimize the loss of aircrew. Regardless of whether they were bombers, fighters, or flying boats, efforts were made to provide them with bulletproof equipment whenever possible. Steel plates for protecting aircrew and automatic fire extinguishing systems to safeguard against fires were also enhanced. These measures are expected to demonstrate their effectiveness in unprecedented battles that may arise in the near future.