That Time When I Was Suddenly Reincarnated in a Fleet Battle

Chapter 13 - The Commander's Decision

As soon as I entered the bridge of the Akagi, Vice Admiral Nagumo rushed towards me in a deeply moved manner. He grasped my hand slowly and uttered words of gratitude repeatedly.

"Jun-san, thanks to you, not a single ship in our fleet suffered any damage. Despite the intense air raid, we miraculously avoided any direct hits. This is all thanks to your predictions and advice. I, Chūichi Nagumo, on behalf of the officers and men of the 1st Air Fleet, express my heartfelt gratitude."

The staff officers and members of the 1st Air Fleet headquarters, aside from the Vice Admiral, who initially had expressions of suspicion or evaluation when we first met, now turned to expressions of gratitude and praise towards me. In fact, repelling the enemy aircraft was largely due to hindsight from future knowledge. However, whether they would believe it if I honestly spoke about it, or if I even intended to talk about it in the first place, was uncertain.

"This result is the culmination of the blood and sweat of the officers and men of this fleet. The dedication of fighter and dive bomber crews, as well as the excellent seamanship of the captains. Without these, we wouldn't have been able to withstand the fierce attacks from the enemy air squadrons without significant losses."

I mixed in words of praise for the officers and men while appealing with humility. The discomfort of having engaged in something like trickery or cunning, both towards the enemy and our own side, was one of the reasons for adopting such an attitude. Therefore, I quickly changed the subject.

"As for the future, I've heard from Commander Genda that the plan is to resume the attack on Midway base."

The Vice Admiral nodded, but there seemed to be a slight hesitation in his conclusion.

"To be honest, I also feel that it might be better to follow the suggestions of Rear Admiral Abe of the 8th Cruiser Division and Rear Admiral Yamaguchi of the 2nd Carrier Division to attack the enemy mobile fleet. Midway base doesn't move, but the carrier task force can swiftly traverse the open sea at high speed. Considering the air raid on the Imperial Capital that occurred two months ago, I can't help but think that it might be better to eliminate the enemy mobile fleet first."

To the Vice Admiral, who showed hesitation, I conveyed what I had told Commander Genda earlier. Even if we were to send a second attack group against the enemy mobile fleet, it would be impossible to defend against the F4Fs and SBDs, numbering around 100, with just a few escorting Zero fighters. Most of them would be shot down before they could release bombs or torpedoes, resulting in minimal success.

"Does the enemy still have that much strength remaining?"

Vice Admiral Nagumo was surprised, but that just indicated how numerous the aircraft on each American carrier were.

"In the recent anti-air battle, the fighters and dive bombers annihilated the enemy torpedo squadron and inflicted significant damage on the enemy dive bomber squadron. However, the dive bomber squadron still has about half of its strength remaining. Additionally, the Enterprise, Hornet, and Yorktown have intact fighter squadrons totaling nearly fifty planes. Moreover, they have not yet participated in the battle, so their stamina is still ample. On the other hand, the pilots of our fighters and dive bombers are exhausted from consecutive anti-air battles. The torpedo bombers are relatively better off, but equipped with only one machine gun for defense, they are extremely vulnerable. It's hard to imagine they can break through the encirclement of numerous Wildcats and SBDs and strike the enemy carriers without suffering heavy losses. If we send out a second attack group, they will suffer devastating blows in exchange for minimal achievements. This means losing a considerable number of experienced pilots."

I put a bit of emphasis on the last part about losing many experienced pilots. In the Battle of the Coral Sea, the 5th Carrier Division, consisting of the Shōkaku and Zuikaku, faced the American mobile fleet centered around the Lexington. In exchange for sinking the Lexington, they lost many experienced pilots, including Lieutenant Commander Kakuichi Takahashi. The Vice Admiral should vividly remember this, as those who died were not only his subordinates from the 1st Air Fleet but also precious pilots. Moreover, if we were to lose the pilots from both the 1st and 2nd Carrier Divisions here, the 1st Air Fleet would lose its combat capability at that moment.

I've said what needed to be said. Now, it's up to Vice Admiral Nagumo. Will he sacrifice numerous pilots to destroy the enemy carriers, or will he abandon the attack on the enemy mobile fleet to protect the pilots?

In terms of the Imperial Navy's culture, choosing the former would label him a fierce general, while the latter would brand him as a coward. In fact, Vice Admiral Shigeyoshi Inoue, who made a rational decision to abandon the pursuit of the enemy mobile fleet in the Battle of the Coral Sea, was heavily criticized by the naval high command for being too passive. Vice Admiral Nagumo might be struggling with such considerations.

In the Battle of the Coral Sea, when the Combined Fleet headquarters issued the pursuit order, the only undamaged carrier, the Zuikaku, actually had drastically reduced operational aircraft, and the pilots were in a state of extreme fatigue, far from being able to continue the fight. If, hypothetically, Vice Admiral Inoue had pushed for pursuit, and Zuikaku and Yorktown had engaged in a one-on-one, the carrier air groups of the 5th Carrier Division would undoubtedly have suffered catastrophic damage. After all, immediately after the initial engagement, the remaining operational aircraft on the Yorktown were overwhelmingly greater than those on the Zuikaku. In the midst of my thoughts veering off in unnecessary directions, the Vice Admiral seemed to have made up his mind.

"We will not pursue the enemy mobile fleet and will focus on the capture of Midway as instructed in the pre-existing orders. The Naval General Staff has designated the capture of Midway as the primary objective, and it is also stated in the Daikai Order No. 18. Furthermore, Genda-kun heard from the Combined Fleet staff that the main task of the 1st Air Fleet is to support the capture of Midway. In other words, the priority is on capturing Midway rather than annihilating the enemy mobile fleet. I cannot simply ignore the mission to capture Midway and chase after the enemy mobile fleet. If the commander-in-chief is not faithful to orders more than anyone else, it will not be acceptable to subordinates," he grinned.

He must have prioritized the lives of his subordinates over his own honor and self-preservation. Therefore, I decided to protect the Vice Admiral from the criticism he would likely face in the future.