“Those are very heavy losses,” said Fukada.
“Heavy indeed. At the moment we have 8 carriers operational. Kaga and Akagi are repaired and constitute Carrier Division 1. Soryu and Tosa form Carrier Division 2. The new carrier Taiho was commissioned in June, well ahead of schedule, and is presently in sea trials. Beyond that, we have three smaller carriers, the Hiyo, Junyo and Taiyo. I would like to assign your ship to Carrier Division 3. It will operate under Hara with the new Taiho, and two of the light carriers. I have a new mission in mind, but first you must understand the present situation.”
“Operation FS?” asked Fukada.
“It was partially successful. We have troops on Fiji, but so does the enemy. Their Marine Division has landed there, and it has been a bit of a slugfest. At first it appeared as if they might push us right into the sea, but we were able to reinforce our garrison. Yet keeping them supplied is now a daily burden. By day, planes we send to Nandi duel with their own planes at Suva Bay. By night, we send in fresh troops and supplies on fast cruisers and destroyers from Noumea. Their own carrier force remains in the area, though it now operates from Samoa as a forward base.”
“Which carriers survived?”
“Enterprise and Wasp. They also have the two hybrids that could return to the theater at any time, and a small escort carrier, more a seaplane tender, the Langley.”
“Excuse me sir, two hybrids?”
“Yes, they fought the French fleet before your arrival, sinking the Bearn, and even jousted briefly with one of our own light carriers. One was damaged in that action and sent to Pearl Harbor, but I must assume it has been repaired.”
“French fleet?” said Fukada. “I don’t understand.”
“It was just a few destroyers, light cruisers, and the one carrier, which the Americans quickly sunk.”
“Do you know the name of these ships—the hybrids you mention.”
“Antietam, and Shiloh. I believe those are battles from their Civil War.”
“Yes,” said Harada, “but we’ve not heard of those ships, at least not this early in the war.”
“Antietam was a long hull Essex class ship,” said Fukada. “Yet it did not appear until very late in the war, and there was no carrier by the name of Shiloh in WWII. Nor was there ever an engagement with the French fleet.”
“Nor a ship by the name of Takami, or another we call Mizuchi,” said Yamamoto. “Perhaps you gentlemen need to spend some time in our ship’s library.”
“It appears so,” said Harada, looking at Fukada.
Yamamoto continued. “There are three operations before the navy now. The first is the continuation of Operation FS. The second the persistence of this enemy raider in the north, Mizuchi, and the action on Karafuto. I fear neither one will have an easy or a speedy solution. My choices are limited. I can split the fleet 60/40 and try to bring one or another theater to a decisive resolution in our favor. May I ask you whether you think a massed fleet effort would prevail over this Mizuchi?”
“A massed effort,” said Harada. “You mean with many more carriers? That would be hard to say.”
“What if I were to assign four carriers to attack this ship?”
“Then they should all be grouped together, and Takami would have to be slightly forward of that group as an air defense picket. Any attempt to confront this raider on your own would likely only result in more losses to your carrier fleet. Of this I am almost certain. But with us present, our missile shield could defend you, and perhaps your strike wings could get something through, but you should expect heavy losses.”
“From the anti-aircraft missiles on this ship?”
“Yes sir. It is a much larger ship than Takami, and carries many more missiles.”
“How many more?”
“Fukada?”
“Over a hundred medium range, and perhaps another 30 to 40 longer range missiles after those they expended against our attack. Beyond that, they have very potent close in defense systems. Even planes that manage to get through the missile shield will face conventional gunfire that is lethal, and even more short range missiles. This Mizuchi, as you call it, is one of the best defended ships in the world—even in our world of 2021, and certainly in this one.”
“And if I chose to use two carrier divisions here in the south? What then?”
“Operate together in one group. Only then can we provide you with the defense you need. Our missiles, while they last, can strongly augment your own fighter defenses, though we would have to discuss how to coordinate that. Your fighters would have to be held back until our missile defense was expended, so as to minimize the risk of hitting our own aircraft by mistake.”
“Of course,” said Yamamoto. “And which of these operations do you deem the most important, the most decisive?”
Harada raised his eyebrows. “Getting Kirov—Mizuchi—would certainly be decisive if it could be accomplished. Without that ship there can be no further operations supported against Sakhalin. It would basically shut down that northern front, because your naval air power could then stop any replenishment effort for troops the Siberians have already landed. Then again, breaking the last of the American carrier capability in the south, and becoming masters of the waters around Fiji, could be equally decisive. Your control of that island goes a long way towards isolating Australia, and if you do sink those remaining enemy carriers, it will be a good long while before the Americans can do anything more offensively in the Pacific.”
“My thoughts exactly, “said Yamamoto. “Karafuto is a nuisance at the moment. The enemy has a foothold in the north, but we have sent the remainder of the 7th Division from Hokkaido, and the 54th and 53th Divisions are still available on northern Honshu. Those forces can easily create a stalemate there, but driving off or destroying the American carriers produces a rather dramatic shift in the balance of power now being contested.”
“Sir,” said Fukada. “You said there were three operations earlier. May I ask what the third is?”
“The British,” said Yamamoto. “The Indian Ocean. We had planned a raid there, to strike the British fleet at Colombo. The eruption of the volcano that preceded your arrival here put an end to those plans, but that ceded control of the entire Indian Ocean to the British. They are fighting us in Burma, and the Army wants support. In effect, they want us to become masters of the Indian Ocean as well.”
“How big is the British naval presence there?”
“They have two aircraft carriers, possibly three by now, and a number of surface ships. I was considering sending Carrier Division 3 there, well supported with surface ships, to see about this problem.”
“Then you want Takami in the Indian Ocean?” said Harada. “And where might you elect to campaign?”
“Against the American concentration around Fiji. I deem it the most strategic sector of the front. However, what you have just said concerning our chances of dealing with this Mizuchi is most sobering. It is obvious that a single carrier division cannot do the job. It is also apparent to me that as long as this ship remains at large, we can pose no real threat to the enemy lines of communications back to their northern port at Magadan. But soon it will be winter again, and that front will freeze over and become dormant. The ice will prevent Siberian ships from landing at Okha in the north, and they will have only their airship fleet to deliver supplies. Given that we have already stopped their attempt to push into southern Karafuto, I believe that front will soon become stagnant, allowing me to safely proceed with operations in the South Pacific.”