Chapter Summaries

The Island Nation Navy's Capital Ship Squadron suffered heavy losses and failed to sink the German capital ships, leaving Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo's 1st Carrier Squadron to decide its next move. Nagumo refused to divert his scarce carrier fighters to protect the battered fleet and planned to search for and attack the German forces after dawn.

• Lieutenant General Takasu Shirō learned that Colonel Masao Ueno's torpedo attack had failed and that the light cruiser Kitakami and its escorts had been lost.
• Takasu ordered Major General Suzuki Yoshio to report the losses to Nagumo and request air-defense cover from the 1st Carrier Squadron.
• Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo learned that the Island Nation fleet had lost the battleships Suruga and Ōmi, the heavy torpedo cruisers Kitakami and Oi, and ten destroyers.
• Major General Ryunosuke Kusaka urged Nagumo to preserve the four aircraft carriers, which were vital to the Island Nation Navy's future strength.
• Nagumo ordered a search for German aircraft carriers or capital ships after dawn, kept most of his aircraft ready, and refused Takasu's request for air-defense cover.

The German Navy launched its first wave of carrier aircraft toward the retreating Island Nation Navy Capital Ship Squadron while both sides searched for the opposing carrier formation. The Island Nation fleet detected the German aircraft and prepared for battle.

• The German carriers Aries and Taurus launched 96 fighters, dive bombers, and torpedo bombers toward the Island Nation Navy Capital Ship Squadron.
• Lieutenant General Wilhelm Canaris and Major General Bürgel discussed the search for the Island Nation carriers and the arrival of Air Force fighter support.
• The Island Nation Navy's 1st Carrier Squadron launched aircraft and reconnaissance planes to search for the German fleet.
• Thirty-six Army Air Force Type 1 fighters escorted the Island Nation Capital Ship Squadron as Lieutenant General Takasu Shirō remained alert aboard Mutsu.
• The radar officer reported a large aircraft formation, and Lieutenant General Takasu Shirō ordered the Army Air Force notified and the fleet to prepare for battle.

The Island Nation's Army Air Force tried to intercept the German carrier-based aircraft group to protect the Navy's Capital Ship Squadron. The Type 1 fighters were overwhelmed, leaving the German bombers largely free to continue toward their targets.

• Lieutenant General Takasu Shirō ordered the fleet to prepare for air defense and requested more support after learning the German aircraft had arrived.
• The German commander sent two BF-109 squadrons to attack the thirty-six Type 1 fighters while a third squadron protected the bombers.
• The BF-109s used their altitude advantage to destroy several Type 1 fighters and then pursued the survivors as they tried to reach the German bombers.
• Island Nation pilots argued over risking their lives for the Navy, but their Squadron Leader ordered them to keep fighting.
• The German aircraft shot down all thirty-six Type 1 fighters, losing only four BF-109s, one Dive Bomber, and one Torpedo Bomber.

Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo refused to reinforce the Capital Ship Squadron and launched a 176-plane air group to search for the German carriers. As the German aircraft attacked, Lieutenant General Takasu Shirō’s fleet prepared to defend itself without help.

• Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo rejected General Takasu’s request for carrier-based fighters, choosing to keep his carriers’ position hidden.
• Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo ordered 176 aircraft from four carriers to search for and attack the German carrier formation.
• Major General Suzuki Yoshio told Lieutenant General Takasu Shirō that the Army Air Force could not help and the carriers had not responded.
• Lieutenant General Takasu Shirō ordered the Capital Ship Squadron to resist the German attack on its own.
• The Island Nation fleet opened anti-aircraft fire, and one German dive bomber was destroyed before the German aircraft scattered and pressed their attack.

Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo sent a second wave of Japanese dive bombers and attack aircraft toward the German fleet after a submarine exposed the Japanese carriers’ position. The Germans learned where all four Japanese carriers were and launched their remaining aircraft to attack the 1st Carrier Squadron.

• A German submarine spotted all four Japanese carriers and transmitted their location before diving away from Japanese destroyers.
• After detecting the submarine’s signal, Chuichi Nagumo ordered Japanese dive bombers and attack aircraft to reinforce the first wave while keeping Zero fighters for defense.
• Wilhelm Canaris learned that the German submarine had located the Japanese carriers and ordered the German second wave to attack them.
• All remaining aircraft from the German carriers Aries and Taurus took off to strike the Japanese 1st Carrier Squadron.

German Navy carrier-based aircraft battered the Island Nation Navy fleet, sinking Shirakumo, disabling Tama and Ashigara, and destroying the Ise Battleship. Mutsu remained badly damaged but afloat as the attack continued.

• German carrier-based aircraft sank the Shirakumo destroyer and fatally damaged the Tama Light Cruiser.
• Colonel Sentaro Omori ordered the Ise Battleship to open anti-aircraft fire as German aircraft attacked the fleet.
• German dive bombers and torpedo bombers heavily damaged the Ashigara Heavy Cruiser, clearing a path to Ise.
• German aircraft struck Ise with bombs and torpedoes, wrecking its compartments, armor, and engine rooms.
• A second wave of German dive bombers hit Ise with seven bombs, sinking the battleship.
• The Mutsu Battleship suffered grievous damage but remained afloat.

The Island Nation Navy's Capital Ship Squadron struggled to survive a German air attack while the German Navy prepared to defend its carriers from 176 incoming Island Nation aircraft. The 5th Air Group launched fighters to intercept them, leaving the coming battle still unresolved.

• German carrier-based aircraft exhausted their bombs and torpedoes, leaving the burning Mutsu and turning back to rearm.
• Lieutenant General Takasu Shirō ordered the battered Capital Ship Squadron to turn and escape, while the German aircraft instead headed for the Island Nation Navy's 1st Carrier Squadron.
• The German Navy's sea-search Radar detected the 176 Island Nation carrier-based aircraft approaching its Aircraft Carrier Formation.
• Lieutenant General Wilhelm Canaris requested emergency air support, and the 5th Air Group launched five squadrons of BF-109 fighter planes to intercept the incoming aircraft.

The German Air Force intercepted the Island Nation Navy’s first carrier-based aircraft wave and inflicted heavy losses with its superior FW-190 fighters. The surviving Island Nation aircraft continued toward the German carriers, but the attack formation was being slaughtered.

• Thirty-six German FW-190 fighters, guided by radar, attacked the 176-aircraft Island Nation formation from high altitude.
• The FW-190s shot down at least twenty Type 99 bombers and Type 97 attack aircraft in their first pass.
• The Island Nation commander ordered the Zero fighters to engage the Germans while the bombers and attack aircraft continued south.
• A Zero fighter stalled its engine while chasing an FW-190 at high altitude, and its pilot bailed out as the aircraft crashed into the sea.
• The Island Nation Navy Air Force commander ordered pilots not to pursue the Germans upward, but the FW-190s continued shooting down the bombers and attack aircraft.

German FW-190 and BF-109 fighters inflicted heavy losses on the Island Nation Navy’s carrier-based aircraft, while German commanders aboard Aries prepared their next strike. The returning first wave had sunk one Island Nation Battleship and heavily damaged another, and Lieutenant General Wilhelm Canaris ordered the next attack against the enemy carrier force.

• German FW-190 fighters shot down Island Nation aircraft, and a Zero fighter broke apart during a steep dive while pursuing a German fighter.
• Five squadrons of BF-109 fighters arrived and joined the battle, increasing the Island Nation Navy’s aircraft losses.
• Lieutenant General Wilhelm Canaris and Major General Bürgel tracked the air battle aboard Aries and discussed the pressure on German forces in the Pacific.
• An officer reported that the first German strike wave had sunk one Island Nation Battleship and heavily damaged another.
• Lieutenant General Wilhelm Canaris ordered the next strike wave to attack the Island Nation carrier force after refueling and rearming.

The German Navy's second wave of carrier-based aircraft reached the Island Nation Navy's 1st Carrier Squadron and fought through its Zero fighters. The German aircraft prepared to attack the escort warships and carriers as Chuichi Nagumo ordered the fleet's air defenses to open fire.

• German fighters devastated the Island Nation Navy's carrier-based aircraft, while the German Navy's second wave approached the 1st Carrier Squadron.
• Chuichi Nagumo ordered the fleet to form an air-defense formation and sent its Zero fighters to intercept the German aircraft.
• German BF-109s broke up the Zero fighters' attempts to reach the bombers, inflicting heavy losses while suffering only light casualties.
• Ryunosuke Kusaka reported that fewer than ten Zero fighters remained and that they had shot down only four German aircraft.
• Chuichi Nagumo ordered the surviving Zero fighters to withdraw and the fleet's air defenses to fire on the incoming Germans.
• The German commander ordered fighters to engage the remaining Zeroes and suppress the fleet's air defenses while the bombers targeted the escort warships before the carriers.

German carrier-based aircraft devastated the escort ships of the Island Nation Navy's 1st Carrier Squadron and concentrated their attacks on the carrier Togakushi. Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo ordered Togakushi abandoned, and the damaged carrier sank while the other three carriers remained under threat.

• German fighters suppressed the Island Nation Navy's anti-aircraft positions while dive bombers sank the destroyer Akatsuki and damaged the heavy cruiser Chokai.
• Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo watched the escort ships suffer heavy losses as Major General Ryunosuke Kusaka reported that German aircraft had begun attacking Togakushi.
• German dive bombers pierced Togakushi's armored flight deck with five bombs, wrecking its hangar and starting severe fires.
• German dive bombers and torpedo bombers struck Togakushi again, leaving it badly damaged and flooding it with three torpedo hits.
• Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo ordered Togakushi abandoned and directed the remaining escort ships to protect the other three carriers.
• Togakushi sank after its crew abandoned ship.

German aircraft crippled the carrier Hotaka and destroyed most of the Island Nation Navy's second wave before the German Navy's third wave struck the 1st Carrier Squadron. Hotaka was sunk, leaving the Island Nation Navy utterly defeated in the naval battle.

• The German carrier-based aircraft group shifted its attack from Togakushi to Hotaka and damaged the carrier with bombs and torpedoes.
• The Island Nation Navy's second wave of 56 Type 99 dive bombers and 80 Type 97 attack aircraft was intercepted by German Air Force fighters and nearly destroyed without fighter escorts.
• The surviving Island Nation pilots discarded their weapons and tried to flee, but most were shot down before the German fighters ran low on fuel.
• The German Navy's third wave attacked the Island Nation Navy's 1st Carrier Squadron, focusing on the already damaged Hotaka.
• The Island Nation Navy's escorts failed to save Hotaka, which was sunk as the fleet suffered a crushing defeat.

Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo’s fleet suffered catastrophic losses as German carrier aircraft sank two of its carriers and destroyed most of its aircraft. The German attacks ended before Ibuki and Kurama were sunk, leaving the battered Island Nation Navy fleet retreating north.

• Major General Ryunosuke Kusaka told Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo that Hotaka had been sunk as German aircraft continued attacking the fleet.
• Kusaka reported that German fighters had nearly wiped out both waves of Island Nation carrier aircraft, leaving only a little over twenty planes to return.
• Nagumo questioned whether the Island Nation was prepared to win a war against Germany, while Kusaka insisted new ships would eventually give their navy the advantage.
• The German Navy’s third wave failed to sink Ibuki and Kurama, and Nagumo ordered the fleet to accelerate its withdrawal.
• The German Navy launched a fourth wave that heavily damaged Ibuki and Kurama but failed to sink them before the battle ended.

The German Navy celebrated a major victory over the Island Nation fleet, though it sought replacements for its carrier aircraft and pilots. The defeated Island Nation commanders prepared to report their losses as Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto remained confident that new ships would eventually give his fleet the advantage.

• Lieutenant General Wilhelm Canaris learned that the Germans had sunk three Capital Ships, two aircraft carriers, and many other warships, while losing four Light Cruisers, five destroyers, and forty-four carrier-based aircraft.
• Lieutenant General Wilhelm Canaris requested replacement aircraft and pilots and planned to thank General Hubert Weiser for the 5th Air Group's interception of the Island Nation attacks.
• Lieutenant General Takasu Shirō and Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo agreed to report their fleet's heavy losses directly to Commander Yamamoto.
• Lieutenant General Iwamura Seiichi told Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto that five converted aircraft carriers would enter service within three months, and Yamamoto predicted the new ships would enable a decisive battle against the Germans.

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto reviewed the Island Nation Navy’s battleship and carrier construction plans with Lieutenant General Seiichi Iwamura, then received alarming news of a disastrous task-force defeat. He flew from Kure Naval Base to Tokyo to discuss countermeasures, leaving Iwamura in charge of shipbuilding.

• Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto asked Lieutenant General Seiichi Iwamura about the Yamato-class battleships and learned that construction had accelerated, with Improved Yamato-class and Super Yamato-class ships also underway.
• Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto urged Iwamura to complete seven converted aircraft carriers within half a year, and Iwamura promised to press the shipyards.
• An adjutant brought Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto a telegram from the task force, and Yamamoto erupted in anger after reading it.
• Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto ordered a plane to Tokyo and left Lieutenant General Seiichi Iwamura responsible for the warship construction.

After a devastating defeat by the German Navy, Japan’s naval leaders assessed the fleet’s losses and admitted they could not challenge Germany for months. Yamamoto returned to Tokyo and ordered shipbuilding accelerated, while warning that the army would have to accept the navy’s temporary weakness.

• Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu and Yoshida Zengo discussed the task force’s defeat and the loss of most of Japan’s capital ships.
• Yoshida warned that only Yamashiro remained combat-ready and that repairs would leave the navy vulnerable for three months.
• Yamamoto returned from Kure and told the leaders that Japan could not contend with Germany until more ships entered service.
• Yamamoto said he had ordered shipbuilding accelerated so the navy could challenge Germany within half a year.
• Yamamoto rejected the army’s likely complaints, arguing that a decisive battle now would amount to suicide.

After the Island Nation Navy was devastated by Germany, Army Minister Shunroku Hata blamed the Navy for the Army’s heavy losses in the South Seas, while Prime Minister Mitsumasa Yonai tried to keep the military united. The Navy asked for six months to rebuild and promised to challenge Germany again.

• After the Navy’s defeat, Shunroku Hata publicly condemned it and said its members had to atone.
• Mitsumasa Yonai called a Cabinet meeting and asked Yoshida Zengo what the Navy planned to do next.
• Yoshida Zengo said the Navy needed several months to recover before it could attack Germany again.
• Shunroku Hata accused the Navy of forcing the Army to suffer immense losses in Borneo and the South Seas.
• Mitsumasa Yonai urged the Army and Navy to work together, while Yoshida Zengo requested six months to prepare the fleet for another fight.

After the Island Nation Navy’s defeat, Lieutenant General Akito Nakamura’s 18th Area Army debated how to continue attacking the German line without naval support. The generals feared that German warships could soon bombard them, leaving the army vulnerable even as it prepared to fight on.

• Akito Nakamura told the assembled generals that the navy’s task force had been devastated and could no longer support the 18th Area Army.
• Shojiro Iida and Du Zuojin blamed the navy’s incompetence and argued that the army’s lack of resources had left it unable to match German weapons.
• Masatoshi Hirata warned that attacks without naval support would bring heavy losses, but Akito Nakamura ordered the army to keep fighting for the Empire’s survival.
• Seiji Moriya pointed out that the German Navy could bombard the 18th Area Army, and Akito Nakamura and the other generals realized they had no way to resist it.

After the German Navy’s victory over the Island Nation fleet, German commanders decided to exploit their advantage by preparing a counterattack against the weakened 18th Area Army. The German 23rd Army Corps ordered its armored and mechanized divisions toward Beaufort and planned to attack the following morning with naval support.

• Brigadier General Georg told Major General Friedrich that the German Navy had sunk three Island Nation capital ships and damaged another.
• Brigadier General Georg proposed counterattacking the battered 18th Area Army, and Major General Friedrich agreed the opportunity was promising.
• Major General Paul urged Lieutenant General William Adam to attack with the 23rd Armored Division, 221st Mechanized Infantry Division, and 222nd Mechanized Infantry Division.
• Lieutenant General William Adam ordered the three divisions to move toward Beaufort and requested naval support for an attack planned for the next morning.
• The three German divisions left their garrisons for the Beaufort front while the 23rd Heavy Artillery Brigade remained on the Crocker Range front.

While the German carrier aircraft attacked the Island Nation Navy, Lieutenant General Otto Schniewindt agreed to support the German Army’s counterattack against the Island Nation Army 18th Area Army. On April 16, the German battleship formation reached Beaufort and began bombarding the army’s coastal positions.

• Lieutenant General Otto Schniewindt received a request from the German Army’s 23rd Army Group for naval gunfire support and promised to bombard the Island Nation Army the next morning.
• After the carrier operation, Schniewindt led the battleship formation toward Beaufort to prepare for the bombardment.
• On the morning of April 16, five German battlecruisers and their accompanying ships arrived off the coast without being spotted by the Island Nation Army.
• Schniewindt ordered the fleet to open fire, and the Blücher’s 380mm guns led the bombardment of the Island Nation Army’s positions.