"Yoshida, you mean that on the surface, we're heading for the airfields on Ponape Island, but in reality, we're trying to force the German Navy into a decisive battle with us?" Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo asked.
"Yes, Nagumo. Without question, our Capital Ship Squadron is far stronger than the Germans'. Whether by day or by night, if we engage the Germans' Capital Ships in a decisive battle, our chances of victory are very high. If we can inflict heavy losses on their Capital Ship forces, we will gain an even greater advantage in this naval battle," Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo said.
Of the Combined Fleet's sixteen Capital Ships, aside from the early-service Fusō-class Battleships and Ise-class Battleships, the remaining twelve were all formidable advanced Capital Ships, armed with powerful 410mm Main Guns. The Kii-class Battleships and Amagi-class Battlecruisers in particular were equipped with five twin-mounted 45-caliber 410mm Main Guns. Such combat power could absolutely be considered world-class. In contrast, the German Navy's Capital Ships were all obsolete warships that had been in service for over twenty years. The Combined Fleet's commanders had every reason to believe that if a decisive battle between Capital Ships took place, victory would certainly belong to them.
Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto nodded. He likewise believed without a doubt that if the Capital Ships fought a decisive battle, the Combined Fleet would emerge victorious. After all, their advantage in this regard was simply overwhelming.
"However, we must guard against attacks by the German aircraft carrier's Carrier-based aircraft. In the previous battles, we have already lost nearly a hundred Carrier-based aircraft. We now have only a little over four hundred remaining. In terms of numbers, that is probably only around sixty percent of the Carrier-based aircraft fielded by the Germans' two fleets," Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo reminded them.