Chapter Summaries

German forces advanced across Sumatra and Java, overwhelming the Island Nation's Army and cutting off its reinforcements. In Semarang, Lieutenant General Kiichiro Higuchi faced the imminent destruction of the 5th Area Army as the wider South Seas front continued to collapse.

• Field Marshal Bock reported that German forces had captured Banda Aceh and destroyed the Island Nation's Army 16th Army Corps, while German units continued landing on Sumatra.
• Field Marshal Manstein ordered the German forces to accelerate their landings and take Sumatra Island within half a month.
• German corps established footholds around Cirebon, Pekalongan, and Semarang on Java, and began attacking the Island Nation's defensive lines as armored units came ashore.
• Lieutenant General Saburo Hagi told Lieutenant General Kiichiro Higuchi that the 42nd Infantry Division had been wiped out, the 7th Infantry Division was encircled, and Semarang was close to falling.
• Higuchi learned that German forces had blocked the reinforcements west of Cirebon, leaving his 5th Area Army unable to hold out much longer.

General Terauchi Juichi and Lieutenant General Tadaichi Tsukada discussed the Southern Army’s worsening position as German forces overwhelmed Island Nation troops on Sumatra. They decided to request reinforcements and urge the navy to defeat the German fleet, though Terauchi Juichi doubted he could persuade it to risk a decisive battle.

• Lieutenant General Tadaichi Tsukada warned General Terauchi Juichi that German attacks had slowed the 14th Area Army’s reinforcements and could destroy the 7th Area Army before they arrived.
• Terauchi Juichi and Tsukada concluded that German naval bombardment and air superiority were causing severe losses and that requested air reinforcements would likely not reverse the situation.
• Tsukada proposed that the Island Nation Navy defeat the German Navy and support a counterattack against German forces on Sumatra.
• Terauchi Juichi recognized that persuading the navy to fight would be difficult because the army and navy were at odds and the German fleet was powerful.
• Terauchi Juichi ordered a telegram home requesting reinforcements and naval action against the German Navy.

The German offensive devastated the Island Nation's Army in Java and Sumatra, despite repeated orders to send reinforcements. As Medan came under encirclement and the relief force struggled to advance, General Terauchi Juichi faced the prospect that the fighting on Sumatra Island would also become unsustainable.

• General Terauchi Juichi ordered the 4th Army to reinforce the 5th Area Army, but German air attacks delayed and devastated it on the road.
• The German military annihilated the 5th Area Army before the 4th Army arrived, and Lieutenant General Kiichiro Higuchi and Lieutenant General Saburo Hagi committed seppuku after the defeat.
• German forces landed on Java Island and forced the 38th Army and 4th Army onto the defensive.
• German forces advanced on Medan after destroying the 16th Army and encircling the remaining forces of the 25th Army and 29th Army.
• General Seishiro Itagaki requested help, so General Tomoyuki Yamashita sent a reinforcement force that German air and naval attacks slowed and battered.
• Lieutenant General Tadaichi Tsukada reported that Medan was close to falling, and General Terauchi Juichi questioned whether the 14th Area Army had reinforced it.

Prime Minister Hideki Tojo and General Gen Sugiyama discussed the Island Nation’s mass conscription and the Southern Army’s retreat under the German offensive. Tojo ordered air reinforcements and summoned navy leaders to push for the Combined Fleet to enter battle.

• Hideki Tojo asked Gen Sugiyama about conscription, and Sugiyama reported that five million troops could be recruited soon but would lack weapons.
• Hideki Tojo ordered the recruits to receive rifles or grenades and called for civilians to resist a German mainland invasion.
• Gen Sugiyama relayed Terauchi Juichi’s request for reinforcements as the Southern Army retreated under German attacks.
• Hideki Tojo agreed to send two Army Air Forces to support the Southern Army.
• Hideki Tojo ordered Gen Sugiyama to summon Shigetaro Shimada, Oshimi Nagano, and Isoroku Yamamoto and pressure the navy to deploy the Combined Fleet.

Prime Minister Hideki Tojo urged the Island Nation Navy to sortie against the stronger German Navy to support the collapsing Southern Army. Admiral Shigetarō Shimada and the other naval leaders warned that a decisive battle could destroy their fleet, but Tojo pressed them to risk everything for the South Seas.

• Admiral Shigetarō Shimada, Admiral Oshimi Nagano, and Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto arrived at Prime Minister Hideki Tojo's residence and discussed the Navy's disadvantage against Germany.
• Hideki Tojo explained that German naval and air attacks had devastated the Southern Army and demanded Navy support to keep it from losing the South Seas.
• Hideki Tojo asked the Combined Fleet to sortie and defeat the German Navy while the Army sent two more Air Forces south.
• Admiral Shigetarō Shimada warned that German aircraft outnumbered and outperformed theirs, and that inexperienced replacement pilots made a decisive battle perilous.
• Admiral Oshimi Nagano argued that a Navy defeat would leave the mainland without a way to resist Germany, while Hideki Tojo insisted the Army could defend it with eight million troops.
• Hideki Tojo pressed the Navy to fight despite the risks, arguing that victory would secure resources and defeat would leave the Empire unable to replenish its forces.

Under pressure from Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto agreed to send the Combined Fleet into a decisive battle against the stronger German Navy. He reached the fleet’s flagship, Taihō, and ordered it south to seek battle, leaving his commanders to face a fight with slim chances of victory.

• Prime Minister Hideki Tojo told Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto that the Navy had to act quickly to protect the Southern Army and the Island Nation’s access to South Seas resources.
• Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto warned Admiral Shigetarō Shimada and Admiral Oshimi Nagano that German carrier and battleship strength gave the Island Nation Navy less than a thirty percent chance of victory.
• Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto flew to the Philippines and joined the Combined Fleet aboard its flagship, the aircraft carrier Taihō.
• Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto ordered the Combined Fleet to sail south and seek a decisive battle with the German Navy.
• Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto urged the fleet’s commanders to fight to the death, and they pledged to give everything in the battle.

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto committed the Island Nation Navy to a desperate battle against Germany, ordering an attack on the Caroline Islands to draw the German fleet into a favorable engagement. After the Island Nation Navy destroyed the German bases there, Marshal Rolf Kars led the German main force north to meet it.

• Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto told Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo that the Empire faced destruction unless its navy defeated Germany, and ordered an attack on the Caroline Islands.
• On July 29, the Island Nation Navy sent more than five hundred carrier-based aircraft to destroy German Navy bases in the Caroline Islands.
• Lieutenant General George Fredberg reported the attack and the Island Nation Navy's location east of the Philippines to Marshal Rolf Kars.
• Marshal Rolf Kars dismissed concerns about a trap and ordered the German main force north toward the Caroline Islands.
• The German fleet sailed from the northern Coral Sea to meet the Island Nation Navy in battle.

The German Navy prepared to destroy the Island Nation Navy after it emerged in the South Seas, while Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto moved the Combined Fleet north to avoid German searches and seek the enemy. A German submarine spotted the Combined Fleet north of Palau, prompting two German fleets to accelerate their pursuit from the east and west.

• Marshal Rolf Kars ordered the German Navy to seize the chance to destroy the Island Nation Navy and discussed a plan to search and advance with separate fleets.
• Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto ordered the Combined Fleet north after Rear Admiral Shikazo Yano warned that German reconnaissance aircraft were searching nearby.
• The Combined Fleet launched seaplanes to search for the German Navy as both sides tried to locate the enemy first.
• On August 1, a German submarine spotted the Combined Fleet two hundred kilometers north of Palau and sent a Telegram.
• Marshal Rolf Kars ordered the Atlantic Fleet and the other German fleet to accelerate their pursuit of the Combined Fleet from opposite directions.

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto changed the Combined Fleet’s course to evade the German Navy, then ordered a mass aircraft launch after a seaplane helped locate the enemy. The carrier-based aircraft took off as the naval battle began.

• After learning that German submarines had intercepted a signal, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto ordered the Combined Fleet southwest toward waters west of Palau and planned a dawn search.
• The German Navy’s two fleets accelerated in pursuit and closed together to avoid being caught separately by the Island Nation Navy’s Capital Ships.
• On the morning of August 2, both navies launched seaplanes to search for the enemy, and German fighters shot down an Island Nation Navy seaplane after it sent a Telegram.
• Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto ordered the aircraft carriers to launch their remaining carrier-based aircraft in two waves, keeping some fighters for air defense.
• The carriers launched their aircraft, and the first Zero fighter took off from Taihō as the battle began.

The Island Nation Navy launched its first carrier-air strike against the German Navy Pacific Fleet, while Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto watched the planes depart. After German radar detected the incoming force, the Pacific, Indian Ocean, and Atlantic Fleets launched 270 FW-190 fighters to intercept it, reserving their remaining fighters for a second wave.

• Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto watched the Island Nation Navy's first wave take off from Taihō, with 150 Zero fighters, 138 Type 99 dive bombers, and 178 Type 97 attack aircraft.
• Marshal Rolf Kars ordered German seaplanes and island-based reconnaissance aircraft to search farther and directed the Aircraft Carrier Formation to prepare its air defenses.
• At 7:45, German radar detected the incoming Island Nation carrier aircraft, and Lieutenant General Wilhelm Canaris ordered fighters into the air.
• The Pacific Fleet's four Constellation-class carriers launched 72 FW-190 fighters, while the Indian Ocean Fleet launched 54 fighters.
• The Atlantic Fleet launched 144 FW-190 fighters, bringing the German fleets' interception force to 270 fighters and leaving the other half of their carrier fighters for the expected second wave.

The German Navy intercepted the Island Nation Navy’s first carrier-aircraft wave and inflicted devastating losses while its reconnaissance aircraft searched for the Combined Fleet. After a scout located the fleet, Marshal Rolf Kars ordered the German fleet west and prepared its carriers to launch an attack.

• Marshal Rolf Kars ordered the German fleet into an air-defense formation and expanded reconnaissance searches for the Island Nation fleet.
• German carrier-based FW-190 fighters ambushed the Island Nation’s first wave, shooting down most of its aircraft while German fleet defenses destroyed the few attackers that got through.
• Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto launched a second wave, which German fighters also met and began overwhelming.
• A German reconnaissance aircraft located the Combined Fleet about 450 kilometers away before being shot down, and Lieutenant General George Fredberg reported its position.
• Kars ordered the fleet to turn west and prepare its carrier aircraft, and sixteen German aircraft carriers began launching planes to attack the Combined Fleet.

The German Navy launched a vastly larger carrier-aircraft attack against Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto's Combined Fleet, overwhelming its fighters and anti-aircraft defenses. The Island Nation Navy's carriers and battleships were sunk, leaving the Combined Fleet completely defeated.

• The German Navy launched 638 aircraft from 16 carriers, while the Combined Fleet had only 150 air-defense fighters remaining.
• Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto ordered the fighters to intercept, but German FW-190s mauled the Zero fighters before the German formation reached the fleet.
• German dive bombers and torpedo bombers attacked the Combined Fleet, sinking its escort ships and targeting its carriers.
• Taihō sank after taking 18 bombs and 9 torpedoes, followed by Shōkaku, Zuikaku, Ryūhō, and the four Unryu-class carriers.
• The German Navy's second wave struck the remaining formations, sinking every Yamato-class battleship and completing the Combined Fleet's crushing defeat.

The German Navy destroyed the Island Nation Navy's Combined Fleet, leaving the Island Nation almost defenseless against a German attack on its mainland. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto died by seppuku, while Island Nation leaders learned of the fleet's catastrophic defeat.

• Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto declared the Combined Fleet finished and committed seppuku in his cabin.
• Major General Shikazo Yano found Yamamoto's body, and news of his death prompted many Combined Fleet officers to commit seppuku.
• Marshal Rolf Kars canceled a third attack because the pilots were exhausted and the fleet was nearing the Philippine Islands; he said the Army would next take on the Island Nation.
• First Sea Lord Shigetarō Shimada received confirmation that the Combined Fleet had been nearly annihilated and collapsed in shock.
• Prime Minister Hideki Tojo learned of the defeat and realized the Island Nation might not be able to stop a German attack on its mainland.

German forces overwhelmed the Island Nation’s Southern Army across the South Seas after the Combined Fleet was destroyed. The Southern Army’s remaining forces were annihilated, its territory fell to Germany, and Terauchi Juichi and Tadaichi Tsukada died by seppuku.

• German forces captured Medan and destroyed the 7th Area Army, then drove the Island Nation’s armies back across Sumatra, Java, and New Guinea.
• On August 2, Tadaichi Tsukada told Terauchi Juichi that the Combined Fleet had been almost completely wiped out, and Terauchi ordered troops to defend Batavia while he fled to Manila.
• German forces captured Batavia after five days of fighting, then continued their advance into Borneo and landed on Luzon.
• On August 14, as German forces took most of Manila, Terauchi Juichi and Tadaichi Tsukada committed seppuku, and Manila fell that evening.
• By August 20, German forces had wiped out the Island Nation’s forces on Borneo and taken the entire South Seas.

After losing the Southern Army and its holdings in the South Seas, Island Nation prepared for an expected German invasion of the Mainland. Hideki Tojo and Emperor Hirohito rallied the military and civilians to resist, leaving the country poised for a decisive battle.

• Hideki Tojo told the Cabinet that Germany would attack the Mainland and that Island Nation had to repel the assault to survive.
• Gen Sugiyama reported that five million new soldiers had been recruited but lacked sufficient weapons, and Shigetarō Shimada agreed to redirect navy shipbuilding resources to the army.
• Sugiyama told Tojo that troop morale had suffered but soldiers and civilians were being prepared to fight, including with bamboo weapons and explosives.
• Tojo and Sugiyama committed to resisting the German attack and preserving Island Nation for another opportunity.
• Emperor Hirohito gave a radio address urging the people to take up arms, and tens of millions prepared to resist Germany.

Field Marshal Manstein ordered preparations for a cautious invasion of the Island Nation's Mainland, warning that its armed forces and civilians might resist fiercely. German forces captured Okinawa after a naval and air bombardment, leaving the island ready to serve as a base for attacks on the mainland.

• Manstein told the Pacific Theater commanders that Germany would invade the Island Nation's Mainland and warned them to prepare for resistance from millions of mobilized civilians.
• Manstein ordered the commanders to prepare for an attack on Okinawa in five days.
• On August 25, German carrier aircraft and warships attacked the Island Nation's military facilities on Okinawa, and five Marine Corps Divisions landed that afternoon.
• German forces captured most of Okinawa before sunset, while Island Nation troops retreated into the mountains and continued resisting.
• Three days later, the German Marine Corps had nearly wiped out the Island Nation's forces on Okinawa and began repairing the airfields for future bombing raids on the mainland.

Germany launched a massive bombing campaign against the Island Nation, beginning with an incendiary raid that devastated Tokyo. The campaign then spread across the country, leaving nearly all major cities in ruins and severely damaging the Island Nation’s population and industry.

• Germany transferred strategic and tactical air groups to the Russian Republic’s Far East to prepare for raids on the Island Nation.
• On September 15, German bombers and fighters crossed the Sea of Whales to attack Tokyo, while carrier-based aircraft joined the assault.
• The Island Nation’s Army Air Force engaged the German formation but suffered disastrous losses and was driven away from Tokyo.
• German aircraft suppressed Tokyo’s air defenses and dropped napalm bombs, setting much of the city ablaze and causing catastrophic casualties.
• Germany bombed cities across the Island Nation over the following days, devastating its major urban centers and industry.

Hideki Tojo refused to surrender despite the German bombing campaign devastating the Island Nation, while German commanders prepared an invasion. On October 18, German forces began landing at Fukuoka on Kyushu Island.

• General Gen Sugiyama warned Hideki Tojo that bombing had devastated cities, caused more than two million civilian casualties, and left the Island Nation short of supplies.
• Hideki Tojo insisted the Island Nation would keep fighting and try to inflict heavy casualties on German landing forces.
• Field Marshal Manstein ordered an invasion beginning with a landing on Kyushu Island, with attacks to follow against Honshu Island and Shikoku Island.
• Field Marshal Rolf Kars confirmed the Navy and seven Marine Divisions were ready to support the landing.
• On October 18, German aircraft and more than ten Capital Ships attacked Fukuoka, then the 1st and 2nd Marine Divisions and the 3rd Army Corps and 13th Army Corps landed.

German forces captured Fukuoka after routing the Island Nation’s 40th Army Corps, then annihilated the corps when it launched a desperate counterattack. On October 19, German armies engaged additional Island Nation forces north and east of the city.

• Nakazawa Mitsuo ordered the 40th Army Corps’ artillery to fire, but German dive bombers devastated its positions as the infantry was routed.
• Yokoyama Isamu ordered the 40th Army Corps to fight to the end and sent reinforcements toward Fukuoka, which German aircraft and naval planes bombed along the way.
• German forces drove the 40th Army Corps from Fukuoka on October 18, then used the damaged port to unload troops and heavy weapons.
• Nakazawa Mitsuo ordered a counterattack, and the corps’ soldiers charged German defenses but were destroyed by German air, naval, and ground fire.
• German forces annihilated the 40th Army Corps, losing few troops, and on October 19 engaged the 56th Army Corps and other Island Nation forces near Fukuoka.

German forces advanced across Kyushu and prepared landings on Shikoku and Honshu, while troops sweeping villages around Kumamoto faced deadly attacks by Japanese civilians. After German soldiers died because they hesitated to fire on civilians, Manstein ordered frontline troops to stop showing them mercy.

• Bock reported that German forces had defeated Japanese troops on Kyushu and were advancing, while Manstein confirmed the planned landings on Shikoku and Honshu.
• Keitel reported that Army Group was ready to land at Ise Bay and advance north and south.
• German troops of the 128th Infantry Division entered Kikuyo Town to search for Japanese soldiers and armed personnel.
• An old man shot two German soldiers, and the company commander ordered his troops to fire immediately on any threat.
• A boy detonated a grenade, killing himself and John, as civilians across the village attacked German soldiers with weapons and tools.
• Manstein ordered frontline troops to stop showing the Japanese people kindness.