Battleship "Yamato", bridge.

"How's the situation with the Pancheng?" Yamamoto Fifty-six looked at the sea with thick smoke in the distance and asked in a dumb voice.

By this time, the attack of Chinese planes had ended, and the sea was a mess, littered with burning planes and the wreckage of wrecked warships.

"The Pancheng was hit with three bombs and a torpedo and is being repaired urgently...... "General Nagumo has replaced the flagship ......" said the adjutant of staff.

"Are the loss statistics up?" Yamamoto asked.

"As a result of the statistics just now, the aircraft carriers 'Chiyoda', 'Chitose' and 'Shoho' were sunk by the enemy, the aircraft carriers 'Banjo' and 'Tenryu' were seriously damaged and temporarily lost their combat capability, the heavy cruisers 'Mogami' and 'Mikuma' were also sunk, and then the four destroyers 'Urakaze', 'Isokaze', 'Tanikaze' and 'Hamakaze' were sunk......"

Yamamoto Fifty-six paced to the chart table with his hands behind his back, looked at the chart and asked, "When will General Inoue's fleet arrive?" ”

"It's expected to be tomorrow morning, General."

"General, the reconnaissance plane reports that the Chinese fleet suddenly turned to the southeast and sailed."

"Huh?"

"In this way, the Chinese fleet is going in the opposite direction of the homeland." The Chief of Staff of the Grass Deer looked a little surprised, "What are they going to do?" ”

"No matter what they want to do, the mission of the Imperial Fleet this time is to bite the Chinese fleet! Don't let them slip away! Yamamoto said in a voice.

After the on-map exercises and staff meetings on the flagship "Yamato", the Combined Fleet continued its attack, but the fleet encountered a dense fog that seemed to be endless. As a result of the fierce attack by the Chinese planes that had just ended, the fleet no longer had the formation it had maintained. Yamamoto Isoroku ordered the fleet to regroup, and the appearance of dense fog aggravated the difficulties in this regard. Even so, the fog is not entirely unwelcome for the man himself, as it reduces the risk of being spotted by Chinese submarines who are known to be lying in ambush in nearby waters. For this, the officers and sailors were thankful, but at the same time they eagerly hoped that the fog would dissipate in time on the day of the air attack on the Chinese fleet.

Soon after, the 21 warships of the aircraft carrier squadron advanced in a circular cruising formation to the southeast. There are no signs of us being spotted by Chinese submarines. The light cruiser "Nagara" and the 7 destroyers of the 4th Destroyer Squadron were the lead, followed by the 4th Cruiser Squadron (the heavy cruisers "Atago" and "Chokai"), the 5th Cruiser Squadron (the heavy cruisers "Myoko" and "Haguro"), the 6th Cruiser Squadron (the heavy cruisers "Shima" and "Hane"), the 3rd Battleship Squadron (the battleships "Hiei" and "Kongo"), and finally the light aircraft carriers "Ryuho" and "Okaka", as well as 8 destroyers. Vice Admiral Kondo's flagship was the heavy cruiser "Atago".

Admiral Yamamoto's main force consisted of 52 warships, behind Kondo's forces. The light cruiser "Kawauchi" and 20 destroyers under the command of Rear Admiral Shintaro Hashimoto, commander of the 3rd Destroyer Squadron, followed by the light cruisers "Kitakami" and "Oi" under the command of Rear Admiral Fukuji Kishi, commander of the 9th Cruiser Squadron, the battleships "Yamato", "Musashi", "Shinano" and "Mino" under the direct command of Admiral 56 Yamamoto, and the 2nd battleship squadron "Kii" under the direct command of Vice Admiral Takasushiro, commander of the 1st Fleet. Battleships "Owari", "Nagato" and "Mutsu". The light aircraft carriers "Chong Ying" and "Yun Ying" and 18 destroyers are behind.

During the entire first phase of operations on the Southern Front, the battleship unit remained in the Seto Inland Sea for rigorous training in order to play a leading role in a decisive battle with the Chinese fleet in the foreseeable future. The officers and men of these giant warships still believe that their enormous firepower will win future battles. Now, it seems, they have just had a chance to prove it, and the morale of the crews is high. This expedition was the first battle in the true sense of the word since the entry into service of the "Yamato", which was equipped with the heaviest artillery; As a result of its participation in the war, he was convinced that the strength of the fleet had increased unprecedentedly.

When the combined fleet was moving forward quickly, suddenly, the destroyers on patrol reported the discovery of two Chinese submarines. The radio reports also reported that a total of six enemy submarines were operating off the coast of Wake and four in the north-east area of Wake Island. Therefore, the anti-submarine ships and aircraft of this fleet immediately intensified their anti-submarine activities; The Kondo and Yamamoto units were ordered to continue their advance under strict anti-submarine alert. The two forces passed what they considered to be the danger zone and were thankful that they did not run into trouble.

A little later, on the orders of Yamamoto Isoroku, the main fleet changed its sailing formation. The battleships were lined up in two parallel columns, with the battleships "Yamato", "Musashi", "Shinano" and "Mino" on the right, and the battleships "Kii", "Owari", "Nagato" and "Mutsu" on the left. Between the two battleships was the light aircraft carrier "Dragon Phoenix", which was busy with the take-off and recovery of anti-submarine patrol aircraft. The light cruiser "Kawauchi" and twenty destroyers formed a ring around the battleship at a distance of 1500 meters. The light cruisers "Kitakami" and "Oi" were respectively located at the rear of the main fleet, at a distance of 10,000 meters, to prevent enemy submarines from tracking them. The fleet sailed south-east at a speed of 16 knots.

At this time, Mitsuo Fuchida, who had been shot down and burned in a fight with a Chinese fighter and had just been bandaged and was standing in the conference room of the "Shozuru" aircraft carrier, was not thinking about his illness.

“…… I was thinking about the combat activities carried out by our fleet. I am thinking in particular of the heavy responsibility shouldered by our commander, Vice Admiral Nagumo. His troops fought in the vanguard of this operation. Will Chief Nagumo be able to shoulder the heavy responsibility of Yunyi? ”

"I met Nagumo in 1933. At that time, I was a captain in the heavy cruiser USS Maya in the 4th Cruiser Squadron of the Second Fleet. In addition to the Maya, the 4th Cruiser Squadron also included the latest cruisers in the book, the Chokai, Takohsiung, and Atago. At that time, Chief Nagumo was the chief of the navy, and he was the captain of the cruiser "Kaohsiung". ”

"My position gives me the opportunity to have regular contact with Nagumo Navy Daisa. He was a technically intelligent and energetic officer, who was among the best of many capable naval officers in the Second Fleet. He also served in the Military Command Department, as well as as as a staff officer of the Combined Fleet and an instructor at the Naval University. Serving as the captain of a heavy cruiser was the only way to advance to the rank of general. Because the following year, he will be transferred to the captain of the battleship, and will eventually become the commander of the fleet. ”

"The Second Fleet was the forward force in the combined fleet's combat establishment at that time, so our training focused on torpedo attacks and night battles. Nagumo Navy Osa is a veteran of torpedo warfare, and his position as captain of the Second Fleet is the most suitable. Because of the manner in which he excelled in carrying out his difficult tasks, I was a junior officer who was simply engaged in flight duty with both awe and admiration for him. I was impressed by his leadership skills in every way. His speeches at the Fleet Studies Conference always felt very logical and instructive, and no one could fail to respect his extraordinary talents. He was frank and sincere, and he was considerate, and he was always willing to help young officers. He is highly respected and fully trusted by us. ”

At that time, sentiment within the Navy for the abrogation of the Washington Naval Arms Limitation Treaty was rapidly rising. In our opinion, the attitude of the political axe is weak, and Nagumo Navy Daisa is taking the lead in opposing this attitude. He went among the captains of the ships, lobbying them to come together and urge the treaty to be abolished. As a result of his efforts, a submission was drafted, which was submitted through the Fleet Command as a reflection of the opinion of the Combined Fleet, after being signed by many officers. This event is particularly pleasing to those of us young officers who always demand a tough policy, whatever it may be. My impression of Nagumo Navy Osa at that time was that I believed that he would become a great admiral. ”

"We ran into each other again. By this time he had been promoted to vice admiral and was appointed commander of the 1st Air Fleet. I was the flight captain of the aircraft carrier Pancheng. Over the years, especially when he was the commander of the 1st Destroyer Squadron as a rear admiral, his prestige grew. Working under him again reminds me of seven years ago, and I am glad to be his subordinate. ”

"However, it wasn't long before I noticed that Chief Nagumo had changed. I began to resent his conformist and passive attitude. This is perhaps due to the fact that he is now commanding an aviation force, not his specialty. He was still as passionate and compassionate as he was, but the sassy fighting spirit of the past seemed to have disappeared, and with it his great admiral spirit. On the contrary, he seemed ordinary, and I suddenly realized that he was old. ”

"In terms of operational command, he doesn't seem to be as active as he used to be. When it came time to draw up the plan, he mostly agreed only to the suggestions made by his staff. His operational staff officer, Minamoto Nakasa, once summed up the situation and said to me: 'Whenever I draw up a plan, he almost always approves it without consideration. For me, it's a lot easier, but it's not. On the contrary, it would make me uneasy to be taken up without review and then given as a formal order from above. I believed in myself, but I wasn't so confident that I could not make mistakes. I often feel unsure about solving an important problem. Whenever I thought that the fate of the country could be at stake with the stroke of a pen, I almost trembled with fear. If I had worked under a commander like Rear Admiral Onishi or Rear Admiral Yamaguchi, they would have reviewed my plan from all angles and returned it to me with comments and comments. This way, I can come up with ideas that can also be extreme with more confidence and more freely. ’”

"I fully understand what Genda means and fully sympathize with him. Unfortunately, this negative attitude is not limited to Chief Nagumo alone, but is a common problem in the Hon's navy. The commander of the fleet is generally happy to leave the details to the staff officers, and only care about some general outlines. The execution of the battle plan will hardly reflect the surname of the commander. According to the system of the Imperial Navy, those who were qualified enough to become the commander of the fleet often became the commander of the fleet, but their specific expertise was often not suitable. This situation contributes to the tendency of commanders to rely too much on staff officers. Chief Nagumo, who is good at torpedo warfare, holds the post of commander of the 1st Air Fleet, which is a case in point. The professional deficiencies of the officers had to be compensated for by the experts in the staff, and as a result, the influence of the staff officers naturally became very great. ”

"However, this is not to say that staff officers can encroach on the authority of their superiors. The ultimate responsibility for operations always rests with the commander, and every action is decided by him. Indeed, although Chief Nagumo is passive, he does not leave everything to his subordinates. At times, he ignored the advice of his staff and went his own way. ”

"The fleets continued to advance towards their destinations, and with the exception of the Tsunoda forces, which were still plagued by fog, they did not encounter any trouble. In fact, by the time the main fleet was engaged with the enemy, the weather had already begun to deteriorate. Our fleet was constantly experiencing heavy rain and stronger winds. Occasionally, large waves hit the bow decks of destroyers and cruisers, making navigation difficult, and the speed of the troops was sometimes reduced to 14 knots. ”

"It was not only the weather that foretold bad omen, but the radio crew of the 'Yamato', who was monitoring the enemy's radio communications, intercepted a long emergency telegram from an enemy submarine from the front of the fleet to the Shina fleet. The telegram was sent in cipher, which we could not decipher, but this implied that we had once again been discovered by the enemy. However, the staff officers of the Combined Fleet Command were not worried about this state of affairs. They thought, indifferently, that if the enemy had guessed our intentions, they would have been able to use the weather to annihilate the enemy by sending out a group of attack planes to stop our attack. ”

"The weather is still bad. Not only the main fleet and Kondo's fleet, but also the aircraft carriers of the aircraft carrier battle fleet to the east encountered strong winds and sometimes rain. At the same time, the radio intelligence squad on the Yamato detected signs of enemy activity, especially enemy planes and submarines. Admiral Yamamoto and his staff speculated that it might be a precursor to the departure of an enemy task force. They eagerly awaited the report of the seaplane sent to the nearby sea for reconnaissance that day. ”

"The rain has stopped, but the weather is still gloomy. The clouds were low, visibility was poor, and only the faint shadow of the destroyer alert force 1,500 meters away from the bridge of the Yamato could be barely seen. Sometimes it rains. Due to the weather, Admiral Yamamoto and his staff had no way of knowing the activities of the enemy fleet. The aircraft carrier fleet, about 500 nautical miles in front of the main fleet, also entered the sea zone shrouded in dense fog. The clouds are low and it is starting to rain lightly, so it looks likely that heavy fog will follow. Visibility was already low, and the adjacent ships in the formation were barely visible to each other. ”

"Vice Admiral Nagumo, who was transferred to the aircraft carrier 'Shozuru', like the Combined Fleet Command, did not understand the movements and intentions of the enemy fleet. In fact, due to our limited radio reception capabilities, much of the intelligence received by Admiral Yamamoto on the flagship of the Combined Fleet was unknown to Vice Admiral Nagumo. This information strongly suggests that the enemy is preparing to confront the fleet again. ”

"At dawn on November 4, the mist encountered by the aircraft carrier squadron the previous afternoon had turned into a thick fog. According to the deployment of navigation in the fog, the adjacent ships in the formation often cannot see the neighboring ships at a distance of five or six hundred meters. Although the bright searchlight was turned on, the light could not be seen through the fog. ”

"It's a very difficult, nerve-wracking activity to keep a steady movement in this endless fog, but you can only catch an occasional glimpse of your neighbor's ship. However, it had to be done, as we were entering the sea area patrolled by enemy submarines, and the fog would help us not to be detected by enemy reconnaissance aircraft, but this benefit would offset the increased danger of navigation. Not only that, but the fog does not hinder the actions of enemy submarines equipped with radars, and our anti-submarine patrol aircraft cannot take off for patrols. In order to cope with this unfavorable situation and to guard against other problems, all ships have made full combat preparations and strengthened anti-submarine vigilance. ”

"Chief Nagumo and all the staff below Chief of Staff Kusaka gathered on the right side of the bridge of the 'Shozuru'. They looked silently ahead, each looking very anxious and nervous. On the left side of the bridge, Captain Aoki Admiral Osa and Navigator Miura Admiral Nakasa went all out to keep the warship on course and in formation. From time to time, they leaned out of their windows, trying to see through the fog that enveloped everything. ”

"I haven't gotten any information about the enemy's task force yet. Fog continued to envelop the aircraft carrier fleet throughout the afternoon and into the night. Contrary to the tension on the bridge of the Yamato, the officers' lounge of the Shozuru was filled with the chatter and laughter of the brave pilots. Their only task was to jump on the plane and attack at the first command. They had everything ready, but due to bad weather, they did not give the flight mission. So, the flight crew had nothing to do but play poker to kill time. ”

"During this time, the weather at Yamamoto's unit, 500 nautical miles behind, improved somewhat, and the refueling operations that had been stopped yesterday resumed. Worst of all, the fog persisted, and the enemy's movements were completely undetectable. Our submarine also did not capture any intelligence. The only source of information was interception of enemy radio floods. ”

(To be continued)