Drastically Modified Combined Fleet

Chapter 19 - Type 97 Carrier Reconnaissance Plane

While nodding in response to the report from the air staff stating that all reconnaissance aircraft had completed their launch, Vice Admiral Torao Kuwabara, the commander of the Third Fleet, couldn't help but keenly feel the shortage of air power. The Third Fleet he led had four Shōkaku-class aircraft carriers as its core, accompanied by nine destroyers serving as their escorts. Although the carrier-based aircraft operated on these four carriers numbered as many as 312, including regular aircraft, Kuwabara was still dissatisfied with the force because there were many other carriers in addition to these. Before the war, the Combined Fleet possessed four regular aircraft carriers of both Sōryū and Shōkaku classes, and four converted carriers of the Chitose-class, making a total of twelve carriers of various sizes. Nevertheless, even considering the withdrawal of the Chitose in response to the Pacific Fleet's sortie near Wake Island, there were barely five carriers in the vicinity. Of course, the Combined Fleet Headquarters was well aware of this, instructing Kuwabara to focus primarily on the carriers.

However, Kuwabara believed that, as a matter of principle, the capture of Wake Island should be postponed rather than simultaneous with the start of the war. He envisioned first annihilating the Philippine air power with the eight regular carriers of the Second and Third Fleets, then launching the Wake Island capture operation as a feint, luring the Pacific Fleet and annihilating it in one fell swoop with numerous carrier-based aircraft. Hindsight might suggest that, even so, assigning half of the battleships owned by the Imperial Navy to counter the British fleet based in Singapore would have been sufficient. Conversely, Sōryū and Hiryū should have been kept ready against the Pacific Fleet. In any case, it was a well-known fact that air power is most effective when concentrated. Furthermore, the larger the scale of the force, the more damage is mitigated. This was something Vice Admiral Jisaburō Ozawa, the commander of the Second Fleet, also agreed with.

However, even when Kuwabara and Ozawa argued this point, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto and the Combined Fleet Headquarters never sided with their opinions. The Combined Fleet Headquarters ordered the Second Fleet to target Malaya and the Philippines, and the Third Fleet to annihilate the Pacific Fleet. Kuwabara couldn't help but feel frustrated, thinking that Yamamoto and the Combined Fleet Headquarters were disregarding the principle of force concentration. Perhaps Yamamoto and the members of the Combined Fleet Headquarters were aiming for a psychological or tactical surprise effect, thinking that the new main fleet, previously thought by the Americans to be battleships, was actually aircraft carriers.

Additionally, the misinformation that the Fusō-class battleships, believed to be equipped with 36 cm guns, actually had 41 cm guns, and the Mogami-class cruisers, thought to have 15,5 cm guns, had been refitted with 23 cm guns, provided significant reasons for deploying the First Fleet not for the southern operations but as an interception force against the incoming Pacific Fleet.

However, even without relying on such stratagems, with the overwhelming naval air power of eight regular carriers, it should have been enough to push them out head-on. With a combined total of over 600 carrier-based aircraft from the Second and Third Fleets, it should have been easily possible to sink the Pacific Fleet. Throughout history, there are numerous examples of the side with superior forces resorting to unnecessary strategies and self-destructing. It's possible that even the Combined Fleet Headquarters fell into this trap.

While Kuwabara couldn't fully agree with the policies of Admiral Yamamoto and the Combined Fleet Headquarters, as a military officer, he understood that as a subordinate, he must absolutely comply with orders from superiors or higher-ranking organizations. Well, lamenting the lack of forces at a time like this or criticizing superiors is not constructive, and above all, it's not good for mental well-being. So, Kuwabara shifted his focus to the Type 97 carrier reconnaissance aircraft he had dispatched for scouting.

The Type 97 reconnaissance aircraft was equipped with a radar system with the codename "Type 1 Mark 6 airborne wireless telegraph," boasting a detection range of over 120 kilometers for large ships and over 60 kilometers for small vessels. Under favorable conditions, it could even detect fleets over 150 kilometers away. Experiences such as the Battle of Tsushima and the struggle against U-boats during World War I, where the enemy's direction of advance or even their presence was not visible, were deeply ingrained in the DNA of the Imperial Navy even today. As a result, the Imperial Navy fostered an emphasis on reconnaissance over attack, and there was significant progress in the research of reconnaissance methods and the development of related equipment. It had become common sense within the organization that prioritizing reconnaissance, even at the cost of reducing offensive capabilities, was necessary.

This philosophy was strongly reflected in the current practice of two-stage reconnaissance carried out by radar-equipped aircraft. The 24 Type 97s launched from the four carriers continued their flights, using radar signals to grasp the movements of the enemy. Relying solely on human eyes for reconnaissance in the vast Pacific was considered impractical in the Imperial Navy. After about two hours since launch, one of the Type 97's crew members detected a significant signal.