Chapter 122: 122
The four Japanese battleships that appeared in Pearl Harbor were the Fuso-class battleship Fuso and the Kongo-class battlecruisers Kongo, Kirishima, and Hiei.
Because there had been no air raid on Taranto in which aircraft carriers and aircraft made a big impact, the Imperial Commandery did not completely believe in the strategy put forth by Isoroku Yamamoto.
The idea of destroying an enemy port with an aircraft carrier's aircraft is novel, but its effectiveness has not yet been verified and it cannot deliver a perfect blow to the enemy.
Therefore, you must personally lead a battleship with enormous firepower and fire a barrage of fire to finish it off!
Yamamoto objected, saying there was a risk that his precious battleship would be attacked by enemy coastal artillery, but since Yamamoto's strategy had not been proven, he had no choice but to cry and agree after being scolded that it was equally dangerous.
The battleships, which originally played no role in the historical Pearl Harbor attack, received an unexpected opportunity.
Opportunity to directly exchange fire with the enemy.
In order to attack the battleships in the harbor, it was necessary to silence the coastal batteries first.
The massive turrets of the huge battleships rotated and their elongated gun barrels aimed at the target.
"firing!"
Fuso, which had a much larger and taller bridge than other battleships, fired first.
As the Type 41 356mm 45-caliber main gun spewed fire, the sea shook and the coastal batteries were engulfed in a huge flash of light.
"Hit! "Keep firing!"
Among the coastal batteries that received a direct hit from the naval gun, the smaller and less defensive batteries were quickly destroyed with a flash of light.
However, the large batteries made of concrete and steel withstood the battleship's bombardment.
Soon, coastal artillery guns also opened fire against the Japanese warships.
Water columns tens of meters high rose around the battleships and sprayed the sailors with cold sea water.
There is a saying that one coastal gun has the same power as three naval guns of the same caliber.
This is because the aiming of coastal guns mounted on land, where there is no movement, is more accurate than that of warships floating in the sea, they are easily camouflaged, and their size is relatively small, making it difficult for enemy ships to aim.
Among the batteries that caught the eye of the enemy ship, those with weak defenses were destroyed, but the large batteries made of reinforced concrete survived and exchanged fire despite being hit several times by the enemy ship's shells.
"Enemy ship! Distance 16,000!"
"launch!"
Soon, batteries that the Japanese battleships had not discovered also joined in the fierce battle.
About 10 minutes after the bombardment began, an exclamation came from the mouths of the American soldiers operating the coastal artillery.
"It's finally right! "It's a hit!"
"Yaaaa!!!"
Fuso's bridge, reminiscent of the Tower of Babel, was hit by a coastal artillery shell and shattered.
Debris from the collapsing bridge fell, crushing the panicked Japanese sailors.
The artillerymen who saw this gained strength. Enemies are not invincible! We can do it too! The artillerymen gained courage and hurried to load the next shell.
Because the shells were as large as the main gun, it took a considerable amount of time to load them.
While the coastal batteries were loading shells, the USS Tennessee, which had suffered the least damage among the battleships anchored in the port, came out to sea and joined the gunfire battle.
Tennessee's participation in the war was usually not a big deal to the Japanese battleships, which were busy fighting coastal batteries.
The battleship closest to Tennessee was Fusso. Before Huso could turn her turrets, Tennessee's 356 mm guns were aimed at her.
"Aiming at the enemy ship is complete!"
"firing!"
As the armor-piercing bullet penetrated the Fuso's frontal armor by a narrow margin, a storm of fire swept through the interior.
Flames erupted everywhere, and gray smoke billowed out everywhere like the wind from a punctured soccer ball.
Sailors, scorched by fire and torn by debris, threw themselves into the sea.
If the captain had been alive, he would have ordered a retreat, but he and his staff were killed instantly when the bridge was attacked by coastal artillery.
With no one to give orders, Fuso just floated in the sea, unable to do anything.
And the U.S. military concentrated all of its available firepower on Fuso.
A loud noise that seemed to tear the eardrums rang out one after another.
Battleships fired hard to save Fuso, which was in danger.
Gonggo's shell hit the coastal battery, but failed to penetrate because the battery's armor was so thick.
The soldiers inside the battery felt a slight vibration in the battery, but moved around as if it was no big deal, loading shells, aiming at the enemy, and firing.
"Hit the enemy ship!"
"Okay, keep going!"
One of Gonggo's four turrets was completely destroyed, one nearby shell was damaged by the explosion, and Kirishima and Hiei also suffered minor damage.
Not only Gonggo, who was directly affected, but also Kirishima and Hiei were scared and did not dare to close the distance. While the three battleships were murmuring, a 356mm armor-piercing shell fired from a coastal battery tore through Fuso's side armor and exploded its ammunition depot.
With an ear-piercing roar, the Fuso was split in half.
"Enemy ship, sinking!"
From the moment the bridge was blown off by artillery fire and the command system was paralyzed, the fate of Fuso was inevitable.
The sea swallowed Fuso's torn body like a starving monster. Together with the sailors who remained on board.
When Fuso was hit, the three remaining battleships stopped firing and took the ship back.
And after rescuing the surviving soldiers who had escaped from the sinking Fuso, they quickly left the scene.
The sea regained calm as if it had never been so.
The site where the battle took place was full of oil slicks left behind when the battleship sank, corpses entangled in the oil slicks, and the remains of the sunken battleship.
***
"this… ."
Yamamoto frowned unconsciously after receiving the message Nagumo sent.
The surprise attack was a success. for now.
Of the eight American battleships anchored in Pearl Harbor, three were sunk and five were seriously damaged.
They damaged two cruisers and two destroyers each, destroyed about 180 U.S. aircraft, and succeeded in damaging about 140 aircraft.
Looking at the result alone, it was a great victory for the Japanese army, but the problem was that the damage suffered by the Japanese army was also significant.
A total of 441 aircraft were mobilized by the Japanese military in the Pearl Harbor attack.
Of these, 72 were shot down and 90 suffered major or minor damage. It is a bonus that all five of the armored targets mobilized were lost.
In fact, not a single US Navy aircraft carrier, the most important aircraft carrier, was sunk.
Yes, I think so because up to this point the damage was within the expected range. Since the aircraft carrier was not in the port, it is impossible to ask why the aircraft carrier could not be sunk.
However, the fact that Fuso was sunk and three battleships suffered major and minor damage was not a problem that could be ignored.
Even Yamamoto, who had recognized the importance of aircraft carriers early on, was steeped in the fleet decisive battle ideology that was mainstream in the Japanese Navy at the time, and it was very painful to lose a battleship that was essential to the fleet decisive battle ideology.
Even in exchange for the loss of one battleship, the only result was the destruction of some of the U.S. coastal artillery.
The reason battleships were mobilized for the operation in the first place was to destroy the enemy's surviving ships that could not be destroyed by air strikes and to lay waste to the coastal base.
But they were blocked by coastal artillery, so they just retreated after seeing the damage!
The only consolation was that the sunken Fuso and the damaged battlecruisers were all old ships, built more than 25 years ago.
If Nagato or Mutsu, the most important battleships, were sunk while being mobilized for an operation, the damage would be indescribable, so Yamamoto argued that if battleships must be mobilized, older ships should be mobilized. This argument was accepted, and they were used only for training. An ironic scene was created where old battleships were sent to the front line.
I feel sorry for the crew of the sunken Fuso, but it was still something that could not be helped.
Human life has no rank, but weapons have priority. Especially during exhibitions.
Although the loss of the battleship was painful, the staff considered it fortunate, perhaps because it was an old ship that was not state-of-the-art and was treated as obsolete.
Although one battleship was lost, it is safe to say that the operation was a success as it crippled the U.S. Navy at Pearl Harbor in return.
Yamamoto looked calmly at the staff members who were excited about the success of the operation and were shouting hurray.
They still don't know. What did Japan do? And what kind of attitude will the angry United States take?
"I wonder if we have awakened a sleeping giant."
***
"I tell you the truth, I have not told a lie in the past nine months, and I can prove this on my records."
Nomura tried his best to pretend not to see Hull's gaze threatening to kill him.
"I have been in public life for 50 years and have never seen a document like this. "It is so full of vicious lies and distortions that it is hard to believe that there is a government on earth capable of producing such a document."
Hull could barely suppress the desire to blow a hole in the top of the head of the Japanese in front of him with his pistol.
The wisp of reason he had left was barely able to prevent the instinct of anger from taking control of his body.
Nomura was speechless as to whether he was aware of Hull's anger.
"Do you have anything to say, Ambassador?"
"… .."
Nomura closed his eyes tightly instead of answering.
From the moment I realized that the code text was a declaration of war against the United States, I expected to receive hateful criticism and contempt.
However, it was unexpected that the declaration of war would be delivered to the other side only after a surprise attack was carried out due to a delay in decoding.
The United States firmly believed that they had been deceived by Japan's thorough deception.
A surprise attack before the declaration of war. Is this really something a country that calls itself a civilized country would do?
Nomura racked his brain over what excuse to make, but then gave up.
In this atmosphere, no excuses will work.
Rather, I didn't know if it would end up causing the other person to completely explode in anger, asking if it was a joke until the end.
"… .I have nothing to say, Minister."
"Cancer, there shouldn't be any. "If I had said it was there, I would have been in big trouble."
Hull waved his hand as if he didn't want to see Nomura, who lowered his head in a polite manner.
At least this was the minimum courtesy he could show the ambassador.
Nomura, who returned to the embassy under heavy escort from the U.S. police, was lost in thought as he watched the embassy staff busy burning various classified documents.
Can I come back here again?
If the Empire wins the war, he will be able to return here as a victor.
Americans may look at him with hatred, but at least they won't treat him poorly.
But if we lose the war, we won't even have that chance.
The Empire started the war because it was confident of victory in the war with the United States.
However, in Nomura's opinion, it was questionable whether there was even a possibility of victory over the Empire in the first place.
How can a country that failed to properly deliver even a declaration of war, and started a war due to a lack of oil, win against a country as large as the United States?
***
December 11, 1941
New Fuhrer's Residence in Berlin, Germany
The news of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and declaration of war against the United States spread all over the world.
Angered by the sudden raid, the entire United States cried out for revenge.
On December 8, the day after the air raid, Roosevelt gave his famous 'Day of Shame Speech' at the Capitol.
"Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a day that will be remembered as a day of shame—the United States suffered a deliberate and surprise attack by Japanese naval and air forces."
Roosevelt angrily criticized Japan for its cowardice in carrying out a surprise attack and asked the National Assembly to declare war on Japan.
The result was of course passing. With a unanimous vote in the Senate and a vote of 388 to 1 in the House, the United States officially declared its participation in the war.
On the day of the Pearl Harbor attack, Japan attacked American territories such as the Philippines, Wake, Guam, and Midway, as well as British colonies such as Hong Kong and the Malay Peninsula.
Britain's Eastern Fleet suffered a humiliating defeat in yesterday's Battle of Malaya, losing two battleships, the Prince of Wales and the Rodney.
The crushing defeat in the Battle of Malaya crippled the British Oriental Fleet, and Japan eagerly advertised to its own people and the world that even the British army bowed before its proud emperor.
The Presidential Office was in an excited mood as my prediction came true once again.
Although the German people were surprised by the outbreak of the Pacific War, they viewed it only as a huge spectacle.
The parties to the war were the United States, Britain, and Japan, not Germany, which was involved in the war.
Today in history is the day Hitler declared war on the United States, but I took the exact opposite step.
I had Ribbentrop condemn Japan's surprise invasion and express condolences to the United States and Britain for the sacrifices of their citizens, while at the same time declaring that Germany would remain completely neutral in conflicts taking place in the Asia-Pacific.
This time, the United States also responded.
The White House issued a brief comment expressing gratitude on behalf of the American people for Germany's condolences, and Britain's Prime Minister Halifax appeared on the BBC and said that Germany's declaration of neutrality and condolences would be a great help in promoting friendly relations between Britain and Germany.
In the case of the Soviet Union, they drew a line saying that they had no involvement in the Pearl Harbor attack and that they would not be involved in any way in the conflict between Japan and the United States.
In response to the Soviet Union's declaration, China requested that the border blockade be lifted, hoping that the Soviet Union would cut off Japan, but this was again rejected.
Since the border dispute with China was used as a justification, were you concerned about losing sight of yourself?
There was no reaction from Japan to the German and Soviet announcements. They only exchanged formal declarations of war with China, which was already at war.
It is not yet known how much damage the U.S. military suffered due to information control.
In actual history, 4 battleships were sunk, 188 aircraft were destroyed, and nearly 3,600 people, both soldiers and civilians, were killed or injured, so is the damage roughly similar here?
Oh, and although it's not clear information, there was a report that the Japanese military mobilized battleships to attack Pearl Harbor.
It is said that the first attack was carried out by launching aircraft from the aircraft carrier, and the final attack was concluded with the battleship's bombardment.
The fact that the Taranto air raid did not occur leads to the conclusion that the attack on Pearl Harbor was carried out using battleships. If it were mysterious, it would be mysterious.
Still, I thought that the Japanese military might attack Pearl Harbor in some other unusual way, but compared to actual history, it wasn't that much different.
"Anyway, I feel a little relieved to see the arrogant Yankees getting hit by lightning."
Göring grinned and said at Leder's words.
"That's right. You idiots, you ignored me even though the President informed me in advance. "I feel very sorry for you."
Goering looked at me with an expression that said, 'Please tell me something soon.'
To set the mood, I opened my mouth with a somewhat arrogant smile.
"I told you the correct answer in advance, but you still got screwed. That guy's pride sent thousands of his country's citizens to the goal. "If we were in Germany, this would be unthinkable."
"That's right, Mr. President. And from now on, there is no need for us to bend down to enter the United States, right? "Because of this, America will depend on us."
Ah, that might be a bit difficult... .
Göring was hoping that the United States, which had ignored the information we had provided and had been wronged, would become dependent on Germany in the future.
Here, Leather and Brauchitch also jumped on the bandwagon and made their own guesses.
"It's a good thing. "We are taking this opportunity to incur debt with the United States and import food, minerals, and steel at low prices."
"It's not bad. If we do well, we might be able to put a leash around Roosevelt's neck."
"No, Admiral Leder. "What do you mean, putting a leash around Roosevelt's neck?"
When I asked, dumbfounded, Leather smiled evilly like a mafia boss.
"Now Americans are in a state of shock due to Japan's surprise attack. But what would happen to Roosevelt if it were revealed that the Roosevelt government had neglected Japan's surprise attack even though it knew about it in advance? Of course, Americans still don't know that we have passed on information to them. They are threatening the Roosevelt administration with this. "If they don't want their secrets exposed, they order us to take care of ourselves."
Leder wasn't kidding; he seemed to really think we could put a leash around Roosevelt's neck.
Even other generals, such as Göring and Brauchitsch, seemed to have similar thoughts.
"It sounds like it if you just listen to it… . Is that as easy as it sounds? It would have been enough if Roosevelt had just said it was German propaganda. There is no guarantee that Americans will believe what we say. "If we incur the wrath of the United States, only we will be in trouble."
"But wouldn't it be possible to cause significant political chaos in the United States?"
"It might be possible. Still, in the current situation, Germany would not benefit at all from inducing chaos within the United States. Rather, only Japanese people would say they like it."
Leder's suggestion of 'blackmailing with secrets' was rejected.
Still, from now on, there is no need for us to take a low-key approach to the United States.
Now that the war has broken out, the United States will have no interest in European affairs, and there is no need for us to panic as there is no longer any possibility of the United States attacking us.
Now all I have to do is sit back, eat popcorn, and watch Japan decline.
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