In the azure sky, several ribbon-like white clouds drifted quietly. Below them, the boundless sea churned with rolling waves. In the distance, the sky and ocean had completely merged into one. Through high-powered binoculars, several small dark specks could faintly be seen appearing along the line where sea met sky, rising and falling with the swells, as if they might vanish with the waves at any moment. The reconnaissance aircraft had already sent back its report, so Alister was not at all surprised by the enemy’s appearance. The fleet’s battle formation had long since been deployed. All that remained was for the enemy to arrive. “Order the fleet to prepare for battle. Inform the air force that they may take off.” … Closer, and closer still. The roar of artillery suddenly erupted. At the same time, aircraft began lifting off one after another from the aircraft carriers in the rear, forming V-shaped formations as they flew toward the combined British-Japanese fleet’s airspace. A highly unconventional welcoming ceremony thus began. Explosions raining down from the sky like stuffed dumplings instantly stunned the Anglo-Japanese combined fleet. Coming to his senses, Admiral Michel hurriedly issued orders: “Air defense! Quickly organize air defense.” Unfortunately, it was all in vain. The Royal Navy had experienced every kind of naval battle imaginable, except being bombed from the air. Its so-called anti-aircraft firepower was, in reality, largely designed to deal with airships. Airships were massive targets, capable of dropping bombs weighing several tons. Even a direct hit alone was enough to seriously damage a warship. As for the threat posed by airplanes, regrettably the Royal Navy based its assessments on its own air force. While ensuring sufficient flight range, a single sortie could usually carry only a few hundred kilograms of ordnance. Overall, this assessment was reasonable. Even the Holy Roman Empire’s most advanced bombers, while maintaining adequate range, could only exceed a payload of two tons at most. However, due to their extremely high cost, these most advanced aircraft were not produced in large numbers. The mainstay bombers of the air force generally carried payloads of around one ton. But those were land-based aircraft, not naval ones. Bombers deployed on aircraft carriers had far lower endurance requirements. As long as they could remain airborne for one to two hours, that was sufficient to meet basic operational needs. As for long range endurance, it simply did not need to be considered for the time being. With lower endurance requirements, less fuel needed to be carried, which naturally allowed for a larger bomb load. Due to the relatively low fuel efficiency of these aircraft, the increase was not insignificant. For carrier-based aircraft with comparable power, bomb loads were generally 10 to 20 percent higher. That margin may look trivial on paper, but in war it was more than enough to be fatal. An ordinary bomber carrying a one ton bomb load had to strain itself to the limit, whereas a carrier aircraft could do so with ease. Because of accuracy considerations, aircraft carrying large bombs usually targeted only the biggest prey. As the flagship and a newly commissioned dreadnought, Admiral Michel’s command ship, the Elizabeth, immediately became the most conspicuous target on the battlefield. In the span of just five minutes, it was visited by three massive bombs in succession. Although none scored a direct hit, the explosions in the surrounding seawater were still violent enough to shake the ship badly. Luck, however, never lasts forever. While the Elizabeth avoided the large bombs, it was struck by two smaller ones. “Smaller” was only a relative term. Bombs designed for attacking warships weighed at least several dozen kilograms. No one was throwing hand grenades down from the sky just to tickle it. The ship itself endured the punishment, but one of its main guns was put out of action, more than a dozen sailors were killed, and many more were wounded. Even Michel himself was nearly knocked unconscious by the shockwaves. The much anticipated anti-aircraft machine guns now looked like clowns on a stage, performing with great effort yet winning no applause. At the very least, the Royal Navy finally managed to organize some form of air defense. Although no kills had been achieved, enemy aircraft no longer dared to descend to mere tens of meters to drop their bombs. By comparison, the Japanese Navy suffered a far grimmer fate. Air defense? What was that supposed to be? Although the Japanese Navy had long modeled itself after the Royal Navy, its budget was limited, and economizing in areas deemed non-essential was inevitable. For a navy that had always benchmarked itself against the Qing Dynasty, there had simply been no perceived need to consider something as sophisticated as air defense. Even when the Russo-Japanese War broke out, the Russians never sent a fleet to fight a decisive battle, and Russian aircraft certainly could not fly over the heads of the Japanese Navy. As a result, the concept of “air defense” had never truly existed within the Japanese Navy. The moment the bombing began, Admiral Itō Sukeyuki cursed Admiral Michel and his entire family. This was not combat at all. It was a textbook case of betraying one’s allies. The Japanese Navy had been completely unprepared. Aside from officers’ sidearms, there was not a single weapon on board that could be fired skyward. Machine guns and artillery were carried, but none of them were designed to fire upward. A jam would have been considered good luck. A barrel explosion was just as likely. Furious, Admiral Itō Sukeyuki immediately roared his orders: “Pass down my orders! Prepare to withdraw! And send a telegram to Michel. If they have no way to deal with the enemy’s bombing, then we will pull out first!” There was no shortage of theoretical solutions. If one were willing to accept heavy sacrifices, charging in to fight at close quarters would neutralize the threat from the sky. The problem was that the Holy Roman fleet was mobile. If the Japanese and British pressed forward, the enemy could simply fall back, while the aircraft would continue bombing as before. They could hardly gamble on the enemy running out of ammunition. This was not far from the Malay Peninsula. An enemy aircraft sortie, from takeoff to return, would take little more than an hour. In theory, the Anglo-Japanese fleet could use the gap created when the enemy aircraft returned to base to rush in and fight a decisive naval battle. But the enemy was no pushover. They were certainly not an opponent that could be destroyed in one or two hours. Moreover, who said the enemy would only launch a single wave of aircraft? What if the attacks came in continuous waves? The aging Itō Sukeyuki had long since passed the age of reckless bravado. He had no intention of charging headlong into a fight that he knew could not be won. By this point in the fighting, several Japanese warships had already been damaged, and one cruiser was even sinking slowly. Unlike Britain and the Holy Roman Empire, both of which possessed vast resources, the Japanese Empire had a shallow foundation. Once a warship was lost, it was truly gone for good. Itō Sukeyuki understood the domestic situation all too well. Even if they were to win the Russo-Japanese War, Japan would need at least ten to twenty years of fiscal recovery before it could regain its footing. There was simply no capacity to further increase naval investment. The original plan had been to join forces with the British, destroy the Holy Roman fleet in Southeast Asia, and then divide the wealthy islands of the region between the two countries. Now the situation was painfully clear. Not only was destroying the Southeast Asia fleet unrealistic, but given the enemy air force’s striking power, there was a real risk that they themselves would be finished off first. Upon hearing Itō Sukeyuki’s order, Akiyama Saneyuki, who had been left in a sorry state by the bombing, spoke up anxiously, “Commander, if we withdraw directly under these circumstances, the enemy will most likely pursue us immediately. Only a dispersed withdrawal would allow most of our ships to escape, but that would put our main force in serious danger. If we want to bring the fleet back in relatively good condition, someone must draw the enemy’s attention so that they cannot focus on us.” Sacrificing an ally. Once the thought arose, it refused to leave Itō Sukeyuki’s mind. Had it not been for his concern over British strength, he might already have given the order. “It is difficult,” Itō Sukeyuki said slowly, “Leaving aside whether the British would even cooperate, even if the plan succeeded, how would we deal with the reckoning afterward? By appearing here today, we have already offended the Holy Roman Empire. If we also offend Britain, then this empire of ours may have no place left in the world.” Regret was unavoidable. Had he known from the beginning that this was a trap, Itō Sukeyuki would never have brought the fleet here, no matter what. As long as Japan had not committed troops to the war, even if it chose the wrong side, there would still have been room to maneuver. So many countries supported Britain that the Holy Roman Empire could not possibly annihilate them all. At worst, one could give up part of one’s interests and still get through the crisis. Now, however, things were different. The two sides had already come to blows and stained their hands with each other’s blood. Muddling through was no longer possible. Akiyama Saneyuki said, “Commander, there is no need to be so pessimistic. Since we can serve as pawns for the British, we can just as well serve as pawns for the Holy Roman Empire. At the very least, before the Russian Empire is weakened, our empire still has value. As long as there is value, there is room for maneuver. From the perspective of the Holy Roman government, using our hands to severely weaken Russia and eliminate this final hidden danger is far better than having to strike directly at their own allies.” … On board the Elizabeth, inside the command room, Admiral Michel no longer carried his former air of confidence. He looked haggard and worn. As time dragged on, the losses of the Anglo-Japanese combined fleet continued to mount. In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, more than ten vessels had already suffered heavy damage. At this moment, the combined fleet was facing not only the enemy carrier strike group, but also air force units that had rushed in after receiving the news. No matter what kind of aircraft they were, as long as they could drop bombs, they now appeared over the battlefield. Most of the air force’s bombs were relatively small, many weighing only a few or a dozen kilograms. Even when they hit, they were little more than an irritation to a warship. But there were simply too many of them. Warships might not fear such small bombs, but the sailors aboard them certainly did. Regardless of size, a bomb was still lethal. Some aircraft even resorted to strafing wildly with machine guns. This forced the soldiers manning the anti-aircraft guns to keep their heads down, afraid to expose themselves. “General, an urgent message from the Japanese Navy. Fleet Commander Itō Sukeyuki proposes launching an immediate charge and engaging the enemy at close quarters.” As if struck by sudden inspiration, Admiral Michel made a decision on the spot: “Immediately reply to Itō Sukeyuki and tell him I agree with his proposal. Launch the charge against the enemy in five minutes. Pass the order: five minutes from now, cease fire, turn the entire fleet around, and return to Cam Ranh Bay at maximum speed.” A desperate act! This was not merely abandoning an ally. Even Michel himself was no longer concerned about saving his own people. Warships did not all move at the same speed. If they fled at full throttle, the slower vessels would certainly be unable to escape. But at this stage, when facing aircraft, an enemy that could only be endured and not effectively fought back against, failing to retreat would mean total annihilation.
[Previous | Table of Contents | Next]
Comments
Post a Comment