“A wise course,” said Harada. “Now sir, how can we assist you?”
Chapter 3
“Colombo,” said Yamamoto. “I want that base neutralized. To do so would not only serve to support our troops in Burma, but also cut British communications with India, and further isolate Australia by preventing any supply convoys from reaching it via the Indian Ocean.”
“That is a taller order than it may seem,” said Harada. “This attack you speak of was made in the history we know, but it was only a raid if I am not mistaken.” He looked at Fukada now.
“Yes sir, the Indian Ocean Raid. It should have already happened by now, a raid led by Admiral Nagumo, and with six carriers, three fleet carriers, and three lighter carriers. The battle was not a strategic victory for Japan, as no effort was ever made to occupy Ceylon. Doing that would have removed two vital British bases from the theater, Colombo and Trincomalee, and also put the Indian port of Madras under Japanese airpower from those same bases. It never happened, and the carrier duels and surface actions were inconsequential. The British fell back on Madagascar temporarily, which they had already taken from the French, and then built up again on Ceylon, remaining masters of the Indian Ocean for the remainder of the war. If you are going to do this, sir, may I respectfully suggest a full hearted commitment of the resources necessary to win?”
Yamamoto nodded. “Given the heavy losses to our carriers, that may not be easy—a tall order as you say. It was my plan to use Carrier Division 3, and then combine Carrier Divisions 1 and 2 for operations around Fiji. As for any invasion and subsequent occupation of Ceylon, that will depend greatly on the Army’s cooperation. Troop commitments are already strained, but something might be found. At the moment, your orders will be to sail for Singapore and rendezvous with Carrier Division 3. That group will be composed of the new fleet carrier Taiho, and light carriers Hiyo and Junyo. Between the three, there will be a little over 150 planes at Admiral Hara’s disposal, and he will be your commanding officer. Taiho is a new direction in carrier design. It has armored flight decks, and side armor as well. Our carriers are fast and efficient, but fragile. Taiho will correct that deficiency.”
“It was sunk by a single torpedo fired by an American submarine,” said Fukada, which gave Yamamoto pause.
“It is frustrating to hear such a thing,” he said. “The futility of everything I do now is made apparent to me each time you open your mouth!”
“Forgive me, sir. I say this only by way of warning, and in the hope that it will be something we can prevent. Taiho had a design flaw that failed to properly vent fumes from aviation gas. Her bomb and torpedo magazines were well protected, but there were empty spaces around the aviation gas bunkers, and fumes built up in those spaces. They should be filled with sand or concrete immediately. That would help eliminate the problem and also provide a splinter shield for those bunkers. Beyond that, damage control failures were the real reason for the carrier’s demise. A few of our engineers might be posted to that ship and help with that training. And with Takami present, our sonar will assure that submarine attack never takes place. Forewarned is forearmed, sir. That is all I was trying to convey.”
“Very well,” said Yamamoto, “as your foresight is so keen, then let me ask you another question. It concerns access to materials in your library.”
Harada did not know why, but that put him just a little on edge.
“What would you need, sir?”
“There is a program underway in certain research centers involving the use of these rocket motors. When you made that little demonstration off Davao, I was quite surprised, initially thinking it to be the fruits of this research. Surprise was not half a word for what I felt when you revealed the truth of your identity to me. You have showed me the end of the road we now walk with this war, and all in an effort to persuade me not to undertake this journey. As we have seen, events had a gravity of their own, and here we are. I do not think it will ever be possible to undo the steps we have already taken on this path. Once the order was given to Climb Mount Niitaka, our course was set. Yet the end I saw in the photographs from your library is too dark to contemplate. No sane man would ever wish to lead his nation to such a disaster. So now I ask you to help me reach a different end, and one that preserves the integrity of our nation, and spares our people the horrors I saw in your books and photographs.”
“We are willing to help in any way we can,” said Harada. It was a case of in for a penny, in for a pound, as the British might say.
“These rocket weapons you possess,” said Yamamoto, “are they clearly the future in terms of the projection of military power at sea?”
“A place remains for the aircraft carrier. That was proved here, and the United States continues to rely on carrier based air power even in our time. They use those planes to protect their ships, just as you do now, but if ant get through, then medium to close range air defense is largely a case of missiles against planes, or other missiles, and certain powers now also see the missile as the only foil to carrier based naval supremacy.”
“Then you may already know that both Germany and Japan are working on these weapons now.”
“Yes sir, and we know the outcome of that research as well.”
Yamamoto nodded, a wry smile on his face. “How strange to think I hesitate briefly here to reveal what is now a military secret, for you are men who have seen the end of all these events. So you must certainly know that we have a weapon in development, a rocket powered craft we call the Okha.”
“Yes sir,” said Fukada. “However, it did not reach deployment until it was too late to make much difference in the outcome of the war. By then, the American carriers had decided the issue, and it was only a matter of time.”
“Time and that other terror weapon I saw images of over Hiroshima,” said Yamamoto. “Knowing that, I wish to find a way for our carriers to decide the issue here before that weapon makes the outcome of this war inevitable.”
“The American project that delivered that weapon is only now beginning in earnest,” said Fukada. “If the history we know is any guide, it will take them three years.”
Yamamoto considered that. “But if we achieve a decisive outcome here before that, perhaps the negotiated settlement you suggested to me might be possible.”
“That gets more and more unlikely with each battle fought,” said Harada.
“Then you believe there is no hope? How can I proceed here knowing that the sum of everything I do leads to defeat and the destruction of our nation?”
“Sir,” said the Captain, “Mister Fukada has just explained how the fate of the Taiho could be brightened considerably. In the same way, the future you saw in our library might still be avoided. Negotiations may still be possible, but to force the Americans to the table, we would have to demonstrate that a military victory would be impossible for the them to achieve.”
“Winning the battles we have just discussed would be a necessary first step,” said Fukada. “Yes, dominate the Indian Ocean, defeat the Americans on Fiji, occupy Samoa, destroy the last of the American fleet carriers. These things are still within your grasp now. You can still prevail, and we can help you. We could not defeat our enemy, but our ship can still tip the balance decisively in one more key engagement. Given that, it may be wise to consider another attack on Mizuchi.”