Big-Ship Big-Gun Combined Fleet

Chapter 66 - Unexpected

The Americans had already known the fact that the Yamato-class battleships were equipped with 46 cm guns. Therefore, before the war, many believed that the American battleships would not engage in one-on-one combat with the Yamato-class battleships, but instead launch battles relying on numbers. The rational Americans would not engage in one-on-one combat with a stronger opponent. Rear Admiral Shingo Ishikawa, who commanded the 3rd Battleship Division, also shared this belief. However, the fifth enemy battleship, likely a South Dakota-class, aimed its guns toward the Hiei.

"This is different!" Ishikawa shouted from the Hiei's bridge.

Following the theory of group warfare, American battleships would focus on the most significant threat, the Yamato-class battleships, first. If the enemy had eight ships, they would double-team and crush four Yamato-class battleships, and then deal with the Kongō-class battleships afterward. However, this expectation completely missed the mark.

Originally, Ishikawa had considered a strategy for the 3rd Battleship Division to take advantage of the enemy battleships attacking the Yamato-class battleships. While the enemy was engaged, the squadron would close in using its high remaining speed, and, at close range, use 36 cm shells to pierce the flanks of the new American battleships. In fact, Kakuji Kakuta, who led the 3rd Battleship Division at the Battle of the Marshall Islands, had defeated American battleships using this tactic, becoming a national hero along with Shirō Takasu, who led the battle. Kakuta's valiant fighting style filled newspaper pages daily, and there were even inquiries about turning his story into a movie. Furthermore, in his hometown, various souvenir products exploiting his exploits, such as "Assault Manjū" and "Close-quarters Senbei," were released one after another like mushrooms after rain.

Ishikawa, three terms Kakuta's junior, also dreamed of defeating American battleships and returning triumphantly. Above all, Kakuta had commanded Kongō-class battleships, almost the same age as the enemy's Pennsylvania or Oklahoma class battleships, while this time the opponent was a new type of battleship. If they could defeat the US Navy's latest battleship with the Kongō-class battleship, which was designed and constructed during the Meiji era, the impact would be incomparable to that of the Battle of the Marshall Islands.

Regarding the 3rd Battleship Division, Admiral Sawamoto had given them considerable discretion in advance. The Kongō-class battleship had high speed but low attack and defense capabilities. There was no need to fight in a way that matched the Yamato-class battleships. The Kongōs could choose to focus on long-range artillery battles, using large falling-angle shells to penetrate the opponent's horizontal armor, or to close in and penetrate vertical armor. In a medium-range battle, the 36 cm shells of the Kongō-class battleship couldn't penetrate the armor of the new American battleship, while the opponent's 40 cm shells would undoubtedly penetrate the Kongō-class battleship's armor. Engaging in combat at an intermediate distance would be, for the Kongō-class battleship, akin to slow suicide.

Nevertheless, considering the current situation, Ishikawa practically had only one option, which was close-range artillery combat. If they had air superiority, they could use spotter planes for relatively accurate long-range bombardment. However, since they had failed to gain air superiority, that was not possible. Of course, depending on the perspective, long-range shooting could be considered one option. If the 3rd Battleship Division held out and the Yamato-class battleships managed to take out the enemy's first to fourth ships, the situation would favor the Japanese side. However, that was wishful thinking.

If the Kongō-class battleships opted for long-range artillery battles, the American battleships from the fifth ship onwards would likely quickly switch their targets to the Yamato-class battleships. Long-range artillery fire without observation aircraft in use meant a very low probability of being hit for the targeted side. There was no need to unnecessarily engage with 36 cm gun-equipped battleships conducting such passive artillery fire.

Nevertheless, if the 3rd Battleship Division were to challenge long-range artillery combat, and if they achieved results, that would not be a problem. However, if not, they would undoubtedly be criticized for engaging in cautious artillery fire due to a fear for their own lives, and at the very least, the commander's head would roll. Considering all these factors, Ishikawa ordered an approach while realizing that unpleasant sweat was flowing down his back. With no other choice, in a situation where retreat was not an option, the four Kongō-class battleships, including the Hiei, began to accelerate.