That Time When I Was Suddenly Reincarnated in a Fleet Battle

BATTLE OF THE MARIANAS | Chapter 70

Toward the Decisive Battle

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In the Third Battle of Midway that occurred in October 1943, the Combined Fleet achieved a significant victory by sinking four Essex-class regular aircraft carriers, four Independence-class light carriers, and the state-of-the-art battleships Iowa and New Jersey. In a normal country, the damage would be so severe that a quick recovery would be deemed impossible. However, the United States was different. Accelerating the construction of not only Essex-class carriers but also battleships, cruisers, destroyers, and submarines, they were also vigorously increasing the production of aircraft and seaplanes to be deployed on these vessels. Even though they sank four Essex-class carriers in the Third Battle of Midway, these were just a small part of the over 30 planned.

Concerned about this, the Imperial Navy and Imperial Army decided to shrink the front lines. The Japanese military currently lacks the resources to maintain a vast front against the United States.

Considering the current situation, Japan holds control over the Western Pacific to the Indian Ocean, and with Australia out of the picture, there is no threat from the south. In other words, the threats from the west and south can be ignored for the time being. Therefore, there should be little concern about the war reaching the resource-rich southern territories. There might be attempts at commerce destruction by a small number of submarines, but that would likely be the extent of the harassment the Americans could carry out.

In that case, the remaining concerns lie to the north and east. Among these, the decision has been made to withdraw from Attu and Kiska Islands in the north by the end of the year. The harsh weather conditions in the northern regions, including the Aleutians, make it extremely difficult for a large fleet to move and resupply. In other words, a large-scale invasion from the north can be ruled out, making the withdrawal from the Attu and Kiska Islands a reasonable decision.

The issue lies in the east. Currently, the easternmost point of the Imperial Navy is Wake Island to the north and the Marshall Islands to the south. Wake Island has been easily decided for withdrawal, as its small land area makes the deployment of large forces impossible. If the Pacific Fleet were to advance, it would easily overrun the island.

The problem arose with the Marshall Islands. With multiple airfields and the potential to serve as a fleet anchorage, coupled with being under Japanese mandate, there seems to be a need for a justifiable reason to withdraw. However, from my perspective, knowing about hit-and-run tactics and island-hopping operations by the Fast Carrier Task Force, places like the Marshall Islands and Truk are perfect targets for them. Crushing them by force or cutting off their supply lines is well within their capabilities.

Because of this, when I suggested withdrawing not only from the Marshall Islands but also from Truk, many in the naval high command expressed reluctance. However, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet, and Vice Admiral Chūichi Nagumo, Commander-in-Chief of the Second Fleet, supported my decision. Vice Admiral Nagumo, who will soon be promoted to Admiral and appointed as Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet, has become a "war god" for his achievements since Pearl Harbor and holds tremendous influence, while Admiral Yamamoto is set to succeed Admiral Shimada as Navy Minister.

Of course, there was the judgment that it would be dangerous to keep Nagumo, who was now recognized as a prize winner not only by the US military but also by the American people, on the front lines, but above all, it was his past performance that counted a lot. Admiral Shimada had already resigned as Navy Minister due to a sudden illness, and I had a hand in it.

When I met Admiral Shimada, I applied a cheerful mood-enhancing magic, along with a time-delayed magic, quite strongly. Normally, the cheerful mood magic is used for those who are feeling down due to the loss of relatives or comrades in battles against the demon race. However, if applied to a person in a normal mental condition, and especially if applied strongly, it creates a very cheerful character. After the magic I cast took effect, Admiral Shimada, smiling, smacked the head of the Prime Minister and ended up being sent to the hospital.

Also, when Admiral Yamamoto assumes the position of Navy Minister, it is planned to appoint Admiral Yonai as Chief of the Naval General Staff, aiming to carry out peace negotiations with the Allies through both the Navy Ministry and the Imperial General Headquarters. However, this will only happen after winning the final decisive battle against the American fleet.

The timing for this is likely to be in the middle of 1944, around the time of the OTL Battle of the Philippine Sea. President Roosevelt, facing repeated defeats, will undoubtedly launch a decisive battle to secure his fourth term, and Japan will have only a short time left to go head-to-head with the US.

There is no reason for either side to avoid the decisive battle.