Chapter Summaries

General Hitoshi Anami secured Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo’s agreement to have the Navy support the Army’s failing offensive against the German 23rd Army Corps in Borneo. Nagumo assembled the Island Nation’s main fleet, which sailed from Subic Bay into the South China Sea on April 14.

• Hitoshi Anami told Chuichi Nagumo that the Army needed naval help to break through the German defenses in Borneo and pursue its plans to capture the South Seas and Australia.
• Nagumo agreed to support the Army and ordered Major General Ryunosuke Kusaka to prepare the fleet to put to sea.
• Nagumo worried that the replenished carrier pilots were less experienced and that the fleet’s aircraft were inferior to German carrier-based aircraft.
• The Island Nation’s assembled fleet included its available carriers, capital ships, cruisers, and destroyers.
• On the afternoon of April 14, the task force left Subic Bay and sailed into the South China Sea.

The German 226th Infantry Division expected the Island Nation's Navy to attack its coastal defenses, while Lieutenant General Akito Nakamura took command of the battered 18th Area Army and reassured its commanders that naval gunfire would open a path to victory. Both sides believed their forces could prevail as the fleet approached.

• The Island Nation's Army reduced its attacks on April 14, and Major General Friedrich wondered why its forces had stopped charging in large numbers.
• Brigadier General Georg agreed that the Island Nation's Army would seek another way to break through, and Friedrich predicted its navy might bombard the coastal defenses.
• Georg reported that the Imperial Navy fleet would return that night, and Friedrich trusted it to stop the Island Nation's fleet.
• Lieutenant General Akito Nakamura took command from Lieutenant General Shojiro Iida and told his commanders the Imperial Navy would break the German defenses that night.
• Nakamura's commanders regained confidence and echoed his declaration that the Empire would win.

The German and Island Nation fleets advanced toward Beaufort for an expected nighttime clash as both sides sought to support their armies in the South Seas. The chapter ended with the Island Nation fleet cautiously sailing south under Lieutenant General Takasu Shirō’s command.

• The German Navy assembled five Capital Ships, dozens of cruisers and destroyers, and a carrier group to guard against and attack the Island Nation fleet.
• Lieutenant General Otto Schneewind and Major General Abraham discussed the likelihood of a nighttime battle and prepared the German fleet to protect the army near Beaufort.
• The Island Nation Navy’s 18th Area Army suffered more than thirty thousand casualties, increasing the pressure for naval support.
• The German fleet headed for Beaufort while the Island Nation fleet sailed south with its Capital Ship formation ahead of its carriers.
• Lieutenant General Takasu Shirō issued the main orders from the Capital Ship Squadron, with Ibuki serving as the task fleet’s flagship.

Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo prepared the Island Nation fleet for a nighttime attack near Borneo while suspecting that the German fleet was nearby. He and Major General Ryunosuke Kusaka discussed the Island Nation Navy’s growing plans for aircraft carriers and battleships.

• Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo worried that the German fleet had entered the South China Sea and ordered Major General Ryunosuke Kusaka to alert Lieutenant General Takasu Shirō to watch for it.
• Major General Ryunosuke Kusaka praised the future strength of the Yamato-class battleships, while Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo favored carrier power.
• The chapter listed the aircraft carriers nearing completion or under construction, including Shōhō-class, Ryūhō-class, Chitose-class, Hiyō-class, Taiyō-class, Shōkaku-class, Taihō, and Unryu-class ships.
• The Island Nation Navy planned Improved Taihō-class carriers and future Improved Yamato-class and Super Yamato-class battleships with larger guns.

The chapter compared the Island Nation Navy’s expanding shipbuilding program with Germany’s growing carrier forces and described the looming struggle for control of the Pacific. As Takasu Shirō’s capital ship squadron sailed south, it received warning of a possible German fleet nearby, and German radar detected the Islanders shortly after 1 a.m. on April 15.

• The chapter described how American support and potential territorial gains could strengthen the Island Nation Navy, while Germany planned to counter it with more advanced carriers.
• Takasu Shirō commanded Suruga, Ōmi, Mutsu, and Ise south under escort after being appointed commander of the reorganized Capital Ship Squadron.
• Suzuki Yoshio delivered intelligence from Nagumo, and Takasu ordered the fleet to prepare for a possible encounter with German forces that night.
• Just after 1 a.m. on April 15, a German heavy cruiser’s sea-search radar detected the Island Nation fleet heading south.

German forces aboard Blücher detected the approaching Island Nation fleet and prepared their five battlecruisers for a night engagement. The German fleet advanced to seek a decisive advantage while the Japanese ships remained unaware of the threat, leaving Takasu Shirō uneasy aboard Suruga.

• Otto Schniewind and Abraham discussed their desire to defeat the Island Nation Navy after the previous battle’s costly outcome.
• A staff officer reported that German heavy cruisers had spotted the Island Nation fleet less than forty kilometers to the north.
• Otto Schniewind ordered the fleet to prepare for combat after learning the enemy had four Capital Ships, and Abraham relayed the orders.
• The German battlecruisers formed a battle line and advanced to attempt Crossing the T, while cruisers and destroyers took positions to protect them from torpedoes.
• Takasu Shirō felt uneasy aboard Suruga, but the ship’s limited radar range left the German fleet undetected.

The German fleet ambushed the Island Nation Navy task force with five battlecruisers, concentrating fire on the battleship Suruga. As the fleets closed to under twenty kilometers, Otto Schneewind ordered close watch for a torpedo attack while the Island Nation ships formed a battle line and advanced.

• Otto Schneewind ordered the German destroyer flotilla to prepare to intercept Island Nation destroyers and then commanded all ships to open fire.
• The five German battlecruisers fired their forty-five 380mm guns at Suruga, flagship of the Island Nation Navy task force.
• Takasu Shirō learned the German fleet had ambushed his force and ordered the Island Nation ships to increase speed and close the distance.
• The four Island Nation Capital Ships formed a battle line and maneuvered toward the Germans under continued bombardment.
• After Abraham reported the range had fallen below twenty kilometers, Otto Schneewind ordered the fleet to watch for torpedo attacks and evade if necessary.

The German and Island Nation fleets exchanged fire at night, with German radar-guided guns giving them a clear advantage. The Germans damaged the Battleship Suruga, but the Battlecruiser Blücher was suddenly hit by a 410mm shell, leaving both sides’ ships ablaze.

• Lieutenant General Takasu Shirō ordered the Island Nation battleships to return fire despite the eighteen-kilometer range, and they focused on the Battlecruiser Blücher.
• Lieutenant General Otto Schniewind kept the German fleet beyond fifteen kilometers as radar-guided German shells closed in on their targets.
• The Battlecruiser Von der Tann scored the battle’s first hit, piercing the Battleship Suruga’s deck and starting a fire.
• Major General Suzuki Yoshio ordered Suruga’s damage-control crews to extinguish the blaze, but German ships used the flames to aim more accurately.
• The Battlecruiser Blücher hit Suruga’s side, destroying a secondary gun and igniting more fires.
• A 410mm shell struck Blücher’s port side, destroying a secondary gun, killing sailors, and starting a fire.

The German and Island Nation fleets fought a fierce nighttime battle, with both flagships hit and set ablaze. German radar-guided gunnery struck the Battleship Suruga again, crippling its stern turrets as Lieutenant General Takasu Shirō recognized Germany’s technological advantage.

• The Island Nation fleet hit the Battlecruiser Blücher and set it on fire, prompting Lieutenant General Otto Schneewind to order the blaze extinguished.
• Lieutenant General Takasu Shirō ordered the Island Nation ships to intensify their bombardment, and both fleets concentrated fire on the Battleship Suruga and the Battlecruiser Blücher.
• Damage-control crews extinguished the fires aboard both flagships, and Blücher disappeared into the darkness without taking another hit.
• At 1:55, a 380mm shell from the Battlecruiser SMS Lützow destroyed Suruga’s No. 5 turret and jammed its No. 4 turret, costing the ship forty percent of its firepower.
• Major General Suzuki Yoshio told Takasu Shirō that German radar likely guided its nighttime attacks, and Takasu concluded that Germany’s technological lead made victory difficult.

The German fleet used its speed and radar advantage to keep the Island Nation fleet at long range while pounding the Battleship Suruga. After two explosions shook Suruga, Takasu Shirō realized the ship was likely doomed, but the chapter left its fate unresolved.

• Takasu Shirō ordered the Island Nation fleet to close the distance and prepare torpedo attacks, while Suzuki Yoshio relayed his commands.
• The German fleet tracked the Island Nation ships with radar and used its speed to keep the engagement range above fifteen kilometers.
• At 2:08, a 380mm shell from Von der Tann struck Suruga, wrecking its superstructure and starting a fire.
• Otto Schniwente ordered the German battlecruisers to concentrate their fire on Suruga, while Takasu Shirō refused Suzuki Yoshio's suggestion to transfer ships.
• Two explosions shook Suruga, leaving Takasu Shirō and Suzuki Yoshio convinced that the battleship was close to destruction.

The German fleet sank the Suruga and concentrated its fire on the Island Nation battleship Ōmi. By 2:38 a.m., the Ōmi was burning heavily and seemed close to sinking, while the German fleet retained a clear advantage.

• After the Suruga suffered fresh hits and began flooding uncontrollably, Lieutenant General Takasu Shirō ordered Major General Suzuki Yoshio to evacuate to the Mutsu.
• The Suruga sank less than five minutes after Takasu Shirō and Suzuki Yoshio left it.
• Lieutenant General Otto Schniewind ordered the German capital ships to shift their fire from the Suruga to the Ōmi.
• Schniewind ordered the cruiser and destroyer formations to watch for the Island Nation fleet's torpedo attacks.
• The Island Nation fleet fired on the Blücher, but its hits caused no fatal damage, while German radar-directed fire repeatedly struck the Ōmi.
• By 2:38 a.m., the Ōmi's superstructure was ablaze and German shells continued to batter the battleship.

After the battleship Ōmi was destroyed, Lieutenant General Takasu Shirō ordered the battered Island Nation fleet to withdraw from the German fleet. He prepared Kitakami, Oi, and the destroyers to counter a German pursuit with a massive torpedo attack.

• Lieutenant General Takasu Shirō and Major General Suzuki Yoshio watched the German fleet batter the battleship Ōmi and lamented their disadvantage in the night battle.
• An explosion detonated Ōmi’s forward magazine, tearing apart the front half of the ship, and Suzuki reported that Ōmi had sunk.
• Takasu ordered the remaining fleet to turn and withdraw, despite Suzuki warning that the faster German ships could catch them.
• Takasu ordered Kitakami, Oi, and the destroyer formations to prepare a torpedo attack if the Germans pursued.
• Suzuki went to issue the orders, while the chapter explained that Kitakami and Oi each carried forty 610-millimeter torpedoes.

The Island Nation fleet tried to lure the pursuing German fleet into a torpedo attack, while Lieutenant General Otto Schneewind weighed the risk and ordered the Germans to give chase. The chapter ended as Kitakami, Oi, and more than ten destroyers turned toward the Germans with their torpedoes ready.

• Lieutenant General Takasu Shirō ordered the Island Nation fleet to turn north and retreat, hoping the Germans would pursue them.
• Major General Abraham urged a chase, and Lieutenant General Otto Schneewind ordered the German fleet to pursue while its cruisers and destroyers guarded against torpedoes.
• Major General Suzuki Yoshio reported that the Germans were catching up, and Takasu ordered the torpedo attack formation to prepare to turn and fire in ten minutes.
• Light Cruiser Kitakami and Light Cruiser Oi led more than ten destroyers in an emergency turn toward the German fleet with 610mm Long Spear torpedoes loaded.

The German fleet countered the Island Nation Navy’s torpedo assault by sending its cruisers and destroyers to encircle the attack formation. With the assault badly mauled and unable to reach the capital ships, Lieutenant General Takasu Shirō chose to withdraw the main force.

• Lieutenant General Otto Schneewind ordered torpedo defenses as the Island Nation cruisers and destroyers turned to attack.
• The German fleet sent ten Light Cruisers and ten destroyers to charge the Island Nation torpedo formation.
• German warships encircled the attackers and battered them, heavily damaging the destroyer Hatsuyuki and targeting Kitakami and Oi.
• Lieutenant General Takasu Shirō rejected the suggestion to commit more ships to the torpedo attack and decided to withdraw while the German capital ships turned away.

Captain Masao Ueno ordered the Light Cruiser Kitakami to fire a torpedo spread at the German blockade, sinking two light cruisers and two destroyers. With the path partly cleared, he ordered the torpedoes reloaded and the pursuit of the German fleet's Capital Ships formation.

• Colonel Masao Ueno ordered the Light Cruiser Kitakami to launch all forty torpedoes at the German light cruisers and destroyers surrounding it.
• The torpedoes struck German ships, forcing one light cruiser to prepare to abandon ship and sinking two light cruisers and two destroyers.
• Colonel Masao Ueno celebrated the attack's success and ordered the crew to reload the torpedoes immediately.
• Colonel Masao Ueno ordered the Light Cruiser Kitakami to pursue the German fleet's Capital Ships formation.

Kitakami and Oi unleashed torpedo attacks that sank several German warships, but the Germans retaliated and sank Oi. Torpedo exchanges spread across the battlefield as both fleets suffered mounting losses.

• Kitakami launched a torpedo salvo that sank two German light cruisers and two destroyers.
• Colonel Nishioka Shigeyasu ordered Oi to fire forty torpedoes, sinking one German light cruiser and one destroyer.
• A German destroyer fired six torpedoes at Oi while it accelerated and reloaded.
• A German torpedo struck Oi, and further German attacks quickly sank the cruiser.
• Both fleets launched torpedoes across the battlefield, sinking more warships.

The Island Nation fleet’s torpedo attack formation sank four German Light Cruisers and five destroyers, but nearly all of its own ships were lost. Kitakami and two destroyers continued toward the German Capital Ships formation, while both fleets reckoned with the battle’s losses and the power of the Long Spear torpedo.

• The German fleet sank most of the Island Nation torpedo attack formation after suffering the loss of four Light Cruisers and five destroyers.
• A staff officer told Lieutenant General Takasu Shirō that Kitakami and two destroyers had survived and were pursuing the German Capital Ships formation.
• Lieutenant General Takasu Shirō ordered a Telegram to Ueno, telling him to stay safe and that sinking German Capital Ships would make him an Empire-wide hero.
• Lieutenant General Otto Schniewind and Major General Abraham reviewed the German losses and recognized that the Island Nation’s Long Spear torpedoes could seriously threaten their Battlecruisers.

Colonel Masao Ueno led the Kitakami, Asagiri, and Amagiri in a final torpedo charge against the German fleet’s capital ships. The German escort screen destroyed the two destroyers and crippled Kitakami, whose long-range torpedoes failed to hit their targets.

• Colonel Masao Ueno learned that the rest of the torpedo attack formation had been sunk, though it had destroyed four German light cruisers and five destroyers.
• Masao Ueno ordered Asagiri and Amagiri to charge alongside Kitakami and urged his men to sink the German capital ships for the Empire.
• Lieutenant General Otto Schniwinde decided to withdraw toward the German aircraft carriers and ordered an escort screen to destroy the approaching Island Nation warships.
• The German fleet sent three light cruisers and six destroyers to encircle Kitakami, Asagiri, and Amagiri.
• German gunfire sank Asagiri and Amagiri, then heavily damaged Kitakami; the cruiser fired its torpedoes from long range, but they caused no damage.

The 18th Area Army waited for the Island Nation Navy to bombard the German 226th Infantry Division’s defenses so its depleted forces could advance toward Brunei City. The bombardment never came, and the chapter left the Japanese generals suspecting that something had gone wrong while the German commanders slept, confident their fleet would intercept the Navy.

• Lieutenant General Akito Nakamura and the other Japanese generals waited for the Island Nation Navy’s promised fire support, hoping its large guns would break the German defensive line.
• Lieutenant General Shojiro Iida and Major General Seiji Moriya argued that naval guns could destroy the defenses and that the Army would eventually acquire its own powerful equipment.
• After an hour passed without a bombardment, Nakamura asked why the warships had not arrived, but Moriya said they might be delayed and could be maintaining radio silence.
• As the bombardment still failed to begin, the Japanese generals realized something was wrong, while Major General Friedrich and Brigadier General Georg slept peacefully, knowing the German fleet would intercept the Island Nation Navy.

After defeating the Island Nation torpedo attack, the German fleet prepared for an air battle while worrying about the enemy’s four carriers. Lieutenant General Wilhelm Canaris decided to request fighter support from the Air Force as German ships tracked the fleeing fleet.

• Lieutenant General Otto Schniwind learned that the Island Nation torpedo formation had been destroyed, though its attack had sunk two German light cruisers and two destroyers.
• Lieutenant General Otto Schniwind ordered two light cruisers and two destroyers to pursue the Island Nation fleet and report its position at dawn.
• Lieutenant General Wilhelm Canaris received news that the German Capital Ship Squadron had destroyed enemy ships but lost four light cruisers and five destroyers to torpedo attacks.
• Major General Bürgel warned Lieutenant General Wilhelm Canaris that the Island Nation’s four carriers outnumbered the German carriers’ aircraft and proposed requesting FW-190 fighters from the 5th Air Group.
• Lieutenant General Wilhelm Canaris ordered his staff to contact the Air Force for reinforcements.