Chapter Summaries

The German Navy's BF-109 fighters ambushed the Island Nation Navy's carrier aircraft near Yap, inflicting heavy losses but failing to prevent the airfield from being destroyed. The Island Nation Navy also attacked Palau, forcing German fighters from both islands to retreat to the Caroline Islands.

• Major Nix ordered the twenty-four BF-109 fighters to prioritize the Island Nation Navy's bombers as they approached Yap.
• The BF-109s launched a surprise cannon attack and shot down eleven Island Nation aircraft, while Colonel Higashi Ichitaro ordered the Zero fighters to protect the bombers and attack aircraft.
• The German fighters pursued the slower Japanese bombers and attack aircraft, shooting down more aircraft despite losses to Zero fighters.
• The Island Nation Navy's first wave bombed Yap Island Airport, destroying its control tower and damaging the runway as German fighters continued attacking.
• A second wave joined the assault, and the German fighters left Yap for the Caroline Islands to avoid running out of fuel.
• The Island Nation Navy attacked Palau's airfield as well, and German fighters there also retreated to the Caroline Islands.

After the Island Nation Navy’s surprise attack destroyed German airfields across the Pacific and cost more than six hundred aircraft, Admiral Konrad Albrecht ordered the Pacific Fleet north to join the Indian Ocean Fleet for a decisive battle. Oscar declared Germany at war with the Island Nation and ordered the armed forces to crush it.

• Lieutenant General Oskar Kummetz reported that the Island Nation Navy had destroyed German airfields in the Mariana Islands and inflicted heavy losses.
• Admiral Konrad Albrecht agreed with Lieutenant General Theodor Burchardi and Lieutenant General Wilhelm Canaris that the fleets had to unite and fight a decisive battle.
• Admiral Konrad Albrecht ordered the Pacific Fleet to head north and rendezvous with the Indian Ocean Fleet.
• Marshal Raeder reported the attack and the loss of more than six hundred German combat aircraft to Oscar and senior officials at the imperial palace.
• Oscar declared Germany at war with the Island Nation and authorized the army, navy, and air force to defeat it at any cost.

The Island Nation Navy’s Combined Fleet celebrated the destruction of German airfields across the Mariana Islands, while its carrier forces counted heavy aircraft losses from Germany’s counterattack. News of the opening victory reached the Island Nation, where the government and Emperor Hirohito responded with relief and praise.

• Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo signed a victory telegram and ordered his fleet to prepare for air defense as it sailed north.
• Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo reviewed the carrier division’s losses of more than fifty aircraft and warned Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto about German fighters and pilots.
• Major General Takahashi Ibo reported that the Capital Ship Squadrons had destroyed the German airfields, prompting Yamamoto to order a telegram sent home.
• The Island Nation’s Navy Ministry, Naval General Staff, and Cabinet celebrated the reported destruction of six airfields and more than six hundred German aircraft.
• Emperor Hirohito sent the Combined Fleet a telegram of commendation for its opening victory.

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto and the Combined Fleet celebrated their destruction of six German airfields and more than six hundred aircraft, but recognized that the German Pacific and Indian Ocean Fleets remained a threat. Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo proposed attacking Ponape Island to force a decisive battle with the German capital ships.

• Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto praised the Combined Fleet's victory and warned that the real battle against Germany had only begun.
• Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo said the German Pacific Fleet and Indian Ocean Fleet had disappeared and were likely heading toward the battlefield.
• Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo identified Ponape Island's three airfields and more than four hundred German combat aircraft as a target for another attack.
• Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto questioned whether repeating the previous attack would work because the Germans would be prepared.
• Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo proposed sending the Capital Ship Squadron to attack Ponape Island and using the German response to force a decisive capital-ship battle.

Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo proposed luring the German fleet into a decisive battle near Ponape Island while sending the 2nd Capital Ship Squadron to ambush the German aircraft carriers. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto approved the risky plan and ordered the operations staff to refine it.

• Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo asked whether the apparent attack on Ponape Island was meant to draw the German Navy into a decisive battle, and Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo confirmed it.
• Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo warned that the Combined Fleet had lost many carrier-based aircraft and was outnumbered by the Germans.
• Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo proposed sending four Amagi-class Battlecruisers south of Ponape Island to surprise the German aircraft carriers while the main force engaged the German fleet.
• Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo cautioned that finding the carriers before dawn would be difficult, but Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo argued that the Germans would have to move to defend Ponape Island.
• Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto approved the plan, ordered the fleet to withdraw before dawn, and directed the operations staff to refine the battle plan.

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto approved the Combined Fleet’s plan for a decisive battle against Germany and ordered the fleet to begin operations. The squadrons broke away and accelerated toward their assigned roles in a gamble that would determine the Island Nation’s fate.

• Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto and the senior commanders reviewed and refined the operational plan in the Philippine Sea.
• Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto ordered Lieutenant General Takasu Shirō’s 2nd Capital Ship Squadron to depart ahead and hunt German aircraft carriers south of Ponape Island.
• Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto assigned the other Capital Ship Squadrons to confront Germany’s capital ships and tasked Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo and Lieutenant General Kakuta Kakuji’s Carrier Fleet with covering their withdrawal and attacking the German fleet.
• Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto rallied the commanders, who pledged victory as the Island Nation’s future depended on the battle.
• The Combined Fleet began preparing for the operation, with the 2nd Capital Ship Squadron breaking away and the other three Capital Ship Squadrons accelerating.

The German Pacific and Indian Ocean Fleets assessed their losses and adopted a cautious search strategy while preparing to face the Island Nation Navy. After a seaplane spotted a twelve-capital-ship enemy fleet approaching Ponape Island, the German commanders chose to engage it and planned a separate carrier strike at dawn.

• Admiral Konrad Albrecht and Admiral Alfred Saalwächter discussed the heavy losses at the Mariana Islands and agreed that the German fleets needed to avoid another surprise attack.
• Lieutenant General Oskar Kummetz and Lieutenant General Hans Georg von Friedeburg urged finding the Island Nation fleet, and Albrecht ordered ships and aircraft to search the waters between the Bismarck and Micronesia Islands.
• On the afternoon of February 3, a German seaplane from Ponape Island spotted an Island Nation fleet containing twelve Capital Ships.
• Albrecht and Saalwächter decided to send their Capital Ship forces north of Ponape Island to meet the enemy while keeping their carriers south of the island for a dawn attack.

The Island Nation Navy’s Combined Fleet advanced toward Ponape Island while avoiding German searches, and German commanders prepared to evacuate the island’s aircraft if an attack became imminent. A German submarine finally located the fleet, setting the stage for a nighttime battle.

• Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo led three Island Nation Navy Capital Ship Squadrons toward Ponape Island and prepared to rely on carrier fighters if German aircraft attacked.
• The Combined Fleet evaded German searches until nightfall, bringing it within a little over three hundred kilometers of Ponape Island.
• Admiral Konrad Albrecht ordered Ponape Island’s combat aircraft to prepare to relocate to the Bismarck Islands if the fleet drew near.
• A German submarine spotted the Island Nation Navy’s main fleet two hundred and sixty kilometers northwest of Ponape Island and sent a Telegram.
• Admiral Konrad Albrecht received the report and asked how far away the German main fleet was, confident it could defeat the Islanders at night.

Admiral Konrad Albrecht ordered the German Pacific Fleet to intercept the Island Nation fleet while the Indian Ocean Fleet moved to reinforce it, and he also ordered a search for the enemy carriers. Lieutenant General Theodor Burchardi chose to engage the Island Nation fleet with his eight Capital Ships before reinforcements arrived, and the fleets met just after ten o’clock at night.

• Admiral Konrad Albrecht learned that the German Pacific Fleet was about a hundred kilometers from the Island Nation fleet and ordered it to intercept while the Indian Ocean Fleet came as reinforcements.
• Admiral Konrad Albrecht ordered continued searches for the Island Nation carriers and their four Battlecruisers so they could be attacked after dawn.
• Lieutenant General Theodor Burchardi prepared his eight Capital Ships for battle and rejected Major General Felix’s advice to wait for the Indian Ocean Fleet.
• Lieutenant General Theodor Burchardi trusted the German ships’ fire-control Radar to give them an advantage in a nighttime engagement.
• The Island Nation fleet and the German Pacific Fleet encountered each other just after ten o’clock at night, beginning the first large-scale Capital Ship showdown of the war.

The German Pacific Fleet detected the Island Nation fleet and prepared to attack it from beyond the enemy’s radar range. The first German salvo struck Nagato, forcing Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo to face a naval battle that had begun far sooner than expected.

• Lieutenant General Theodor Burchardi ordered the German fleet’s five Kaiser-class Battleships and three Derfflinger-class Battlecruisers to form a battle line and target the foremost enemy ship.
• Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo worried over his battle plan and ordered the Combined Fleet to prepare for anti-submarine operations.
• German shells exploded around Nagato, surprising Yoshida Zengo and the Island Nation fleet.
• Captain Fukudome Shigeru reported that the fleet’s radar had not detected the German ships, which were beyond its twenty-five-kilometer range.
• Yoshida Zengo ordered the Combined Fleet to prepare for battle.

Nagato came under concentrated fire from the German Navy Pacific Fleet as the Island Nation fleet tried to form a battle line. The German ships repeatedly hit Nagato from long range, leaving it burning and badly damaged as the battle continued.

• Captain Tokunaga Sakae panicked as German battleships and battlecruisers fired on Nagato from beyond visual range.
• Vice Admiral Mineichi Koga contacted Tokunaga and urged him to remain calm, while the flagship ordered the Capital Ships to form a battle line.
• Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo arranged the twelve Capital Ships into three groups, placing Koga's four ships at the front.
• Nagato turned to join the line but took a 380mm hit that tore through its belt armor, destroyed a secondary gun, and started a fire.
• German shells struck Nagato repeatedly, setting its bow and superstructure ablaze and killing sailors while Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo watched in disbelief.

The German Navy’s eight Capital Ships closed range and continued concentrating their fire on the damaged battleship Nagato, while the Island Nation Navy returned fire with little chance of hitting its targets. Nagato’s observation and fire-aiming equipment was destroyed, leaving the ship increasingly weakened as the battle continued.

• Lieutenant General Theodor Burchardi ordered the German formation to close the distance to improve its hit rate.
• Captain Fukudome Shigeru reported that the Island Nation Navy’s radar had detected eight German Capital Ships, and Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo ordered his fleet to prepare for battle.
• German shells struck Nagato repeatedly, damaging its superstructure and fire-aiming equipment as Captain Tokunaga Sakae’s ship entered the battle line.
• Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo ordered the twelve Island Nation battleships to fire at the German line from more than twenty kilometers away.
• The Island Nation shells missed, while the German fleet kept targeting Nagato and left it unable to aim its guns effectively.

The German fleet continued its long-range bombardment, and the Nagato capsized after taking sixteen hits. Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo ordered the remaining Island Nation battleships to close the distance, leaving the slower Fuso and Yamashiro behind.

• Lieutenant General Theodor Burchardi ordered the German fleet to maintain a range of twenty kilometers and keep firing on the Island Nation ships.
• A German 380mm shell pierced Nagato’s waterline armor, and Captain Tokunaga Sakae ordered the crew to seal the breach as repeated hits flooded the ship.
• After taking sixteen hits, Nagato capsized, and Captain Fukudome Shigeru reported its loss to Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo.
• Captain Fukudome Shigeru attributed the Germans’ long-range accuracy to their modern radar and rangefinding equipment, and Yoshida ordered the fleet to close the distance.
• Yoshida ordered Fuso and Yamashiro to fall behind while the other nine battleships accelerated in pursuit of the German fleet.

The German fleet turned east to join the approaching Indian Ocean Fleet while the Island Nation fleet pursued, hoping to finish off the German ships. Both sides continued exchanging fire, and the German fleet awaited reinforcements that could shift the balance.

• Major General Felix reported that the Island Nation fleet had accelerated and split its battle line after losing a battleship.
• Lieutenant General Theodor Burchardi learned that the Indian Ocean Fleet needed four to five hours to reach the battlefield and ordered the German fleet to turn toward it.
• Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo ordered the Island Nation fleet to pursue the Germans but rejected Captain Fukudome Shigeru's suggestion to leave slower battleships behind.
• The German fleet turned from north to east as the Island Nation fleet followed, while seven German battleships from the Indian Ocean Fleet accelerated toward the battlefield.
• Both fleets continued firing, but their hit rates remained extremely low, with the Island Nation fleet's shots effectively missing at the long range.

The German fleet used its fire-control radar to suppress the pursuing Island Nation fleet and repeatedly hit Kaga, while both sides struggled to damage the enemy’s battleships. Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo weighed risky ways to close the distance before German reinforcements arrived.

• The German fleet concentrated its eight Capital Ships’ fire on Kaga, setting the battleship ablaze and damaging it without sinking it.
• Lieutenant General Theodor Burchardi ordered the German ships to focus fire and destroy Kaga so the fleets would be evenly matched in battleships.
• Captain Fukudome Shigeru reported that the Island Nation fleet remained twenty-two kilometers from the Germans and that Kaga was in worsening condition.
• Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo asked how the Island Nation fleet could intercept the Germans before the Indian Ocean Fleet arrived.
• Captain Fukudome Shigeru proposed accelerating to twenty-nine knots to close the range within an hour, warning that this would leave the four Kii-class battleships facing the German fleet’s eight Capital Ships.

Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo weighed risking the Kii-class battleships against ordering destroyer torpedo attacks as the German fleet battered the Island Nation fleet. After Kaga was crippled and forced to withdraw, Yoshida realized he could no longer avoid taking a risk.

• Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo questioned Captain Fukudome Shigeru about alternatives to sending the Kii-class battleships against the German fleet, and Fukudome proposed destroyer torpedo attacks.
• A 380mm shell penetrated Kaga’s conning tower, killing Colonel Ōnishi Shinzō and the other officers there.
• A second 380mm shell struck Kaga’s amidships, causing boiler damage, steam leaks, and a loss of speed.
• Kaga’s Chief Engineer requested permission to withdraw, and Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo ordered the battleship to leave the battle line.
• The German fleet let Kaga go and asked its base to dispatch submarines while continuing to target the Island Nation fleet.
• After Kaga withdrew, Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo concluded that he could no longer avoid taking a risk.

Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo ordered the Island Nation fleet to charge the German fleet, hoping to reverse its worsening situation. The fleets closed in and began concentrating their fire on the Battleship König and Battleship Kii, leaving the battle at close quarters.

• Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo ordered the four Kii-class Battleships to intercept the Germans while the rest of the Island Nation fleet hurried to join the fight.
• Lieutenant General Theodor Burchardi learned the Island Nation fleet was accelerating and ordered his ships to guard against Crossing the T.
• Lieutenant General Theodor Burchardi asked Major General Felix to find out when the Indian Ocean Fleet Battleship formation would arrive.
• The four Kii-class Battleships reached 29 knots and closed the distance to the German fleet.
• Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo ordered the four Kii-class Battleships to concentrate their fire on the Battleship König, while the German fleet targeted the Battleship Kii.
• The German and Island Nation fleets began close-quarters combat.

The Island Nation fleet and the German fleet fought a brutal nighttime battleship engagement as both sides tried to sink the other's capital ships. The Kii and König were damaged, but the battle continued to intensify as the fleets closed distance.

• Yoshida Zengo ordered the Kii-class battleships to fire on the German flagship König and close the engagement range to improve their accuracy.
• A hit damaged the Kii's after deck and jammed Turret No. 5, reducing the battleship's firepower.
• The German fleet's guns struck König, destroying a secondary gun and igniting a fire that drew more fire from the Kii-class battleships.
• A second 410mm shell hit König's forward deck, killing more than a dozen sailors and prompting Yoshida Zengo to hope the German flagship could be sunk.
• A German 380mm shell hit Kii's superstructure and started a fire, while the fleets continued closing and trading hits.

Admiral Konrad Albrecht prepared to search for and destroy the Island Nation Carrier Fleet at dawn, confident that Germany held the advantage in the battle. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, troubled by the Island Nation Capital Ship Squadron’s losses, ordered Yoshida to win by any means and readied Nagumo’s aircraft for a dawn attack.

• Admiral Konrad Albrecht ordered seaplanes to search north and northwest of Ponape Island for the Island Nation Carrier Fleet before dawn.
• Admiral Konrad Albrecht and Lieutenant General Oskar Kummetz believed Germany’s battleship formation had gained the upper hand and that daylight would bring a decisive victory.
• Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto learned that General Yoshida’s four Kii-class battleships were fighting the Germans but that the situation remained unfavorable.
• Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto ordered Major General Takahashi Ibo to tell Yoshida to win by any means possible.
• Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto ordered Nagumo to ready the Carrier-based Aircraft Unit for an attack after dawn.

Battleship Kii and Battleship König were both badly damaged by enemy shells and began taking on uncontrollable amounts of water. Their commanders abandoned the sinking ships and transferred their commands to other battleships as the battle continued.

• Battleship Kii lost Main Turret No. 3 and suffered a hole near the waterline, leaving it with two main turrets destroyed.
• Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo ordered the crew to keep fighting and asked Battleship Tosa to hurry to the fleet.
• Island Nation shells pierced Battleship König's side and stern, flooding the ship and damaging its steering gear and propeller.
• Lieutenant General Theodor Burchardi evacuated König and transferred his command staff to Battleship Crown Prince.
• After damage-control efforts failed, König's captain ordered the crew to abandon ship, and German destroyers rescued them.
• Two more shells tore open Battleship Kii near the waterline, forcing Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo to withdraw to Battleship Suruga and continue the fight from there.