Turning Point (Kirov Series Book 22)

by John Schettler

  “China? There are 500 million of them over there, and we have only 70 million, yet we ride the Dragon’s back, and tame it well. They have no real military capacity, but they come in their millions to pose a challenge. The Army has been bogged down in that war, and that will likely remain the case. The Chinese cannot defeat us, but real victory has also eluded us there.”

  “And the Siberians?”

  “A mere nuisance. Yamashita will deal with them. If your ship can find this Mizuchi we face at sea up north, then we will settle that issue as well.”

  “Well we must be very diligent with the Chinese. They could pose a real problem in the years ahead.”

  “Yamamoto fears the Americans more,” said Ugaki.

  “As well he should. This is only the beginning of the war. The Americans have tremendous industry. They will out build us, even as I spoke earlier.”

  “Nonsense,” said Ugaki. “And what was that garbage you told Yamamoto about the loss of all our carriers?”

  “Anything could happen,” said Fukada, hedging his bet. “Yet it is now incumbent upon us to make certain no such disaster ever takes place. What are your thoughts concerning our best bet for renewed offensive operations, if I may humbly ask?”

  “We always planned to fight a short war, swift, and even brutal if need be. Yamamoto hoped to eliminate the threat from the Americans at Pearl Harbor, but it is regrettable that there were no carriers at the harbor when Fuchida led the attack in that morning. They were lying in wait for us, and we managed to sink one. Now we must find and sink all the others.”

  “You sunk one?”

  “The Lexington. Where have you been? On the one hand you make pronouncements as if you were privy to intelligence that only the Kempeitai might ferret out. On the other hand you seem surprised to hear of things that even rank and file crewmen might know.”

  “Due to the secrecy surrounding this ship,” said Fukada, thinking quickly, “we were kept very isolated. Yes, much news of the war in recent weeks has not come to us.”

  “Well you will learn soon enough. The offensive has gone very well, and we are poised to take Sumatra, Java ,and the barrier islands. That will be the outer wall of our defensive line, and we will make it impregnable to enemy counterattack. Yet the best defense remains a good offense. Yamamoto is of a mind that we must still seek out the American fleet and destroy what remains of it in one great decisive battle. Yet you have the audacity to tell him this will end in our defeat. Believe me, he was very forgiving of your impudence earlier.”

  “I meant no disrespect. I only said as much so that we could steel ourselves to avoid any possible mistake, and achieve the victory I know we can now have easily enough. Takami can make us invincible. And yes, we must destroy the American fleet, just as I spoke earlier. We must push them all the way back to their west coast, and keep them there.”

  “And this terror weapon you blather about? What if they attack us with that?”

  “They do not have the weapon now,” said Fukada. “And we must take steps to make certain they never obtain it.”

  How he thought they could do that, Fukada did not say, or even really know himself at that moment. One thing was clear, however. His mind was firmly set on how Japan could prevail in this war, and talk of peace was the farthest thing imaginable as the wheels of his thinking slowly ground on through the saké.

  “I must tell you one thing that I hope you will take very seriously, Admiral Ugaki. It is a matter of grave importance, no matter what plans might be devised for the future course of the war. The Americans have broken our naval code system.”

  “What? How can you know this?”

  “It is what I believe. How else could they have cleverly moved all their carriers out of Pearl Harbor just days before our planned attack?”

  “I have had my suspicions concerning that.”

  “Well founded suspicions this time, Admiral. They have broken our code, and we must make every effort to change it at once.”

  * * *

  “This is the ship’s Library, sir,” said Captain Harada.

  Yamamoto looked around, somewhat confused. “But where are the books? I see nothing here but these tables and chairs, and those strange flattened typewriters. And what are those dark panels?”

  “Information screens. This is what we call a virtual library. Those keyboards can be used exactly like a typewriter. You can use them to search our library data files, which are most extensive, especially concerning the Pacific War. Simply type what you wish to look for. You may also sit down before any of those panels and speak your request. Here, let me show you.”

  Harada sat down, and then began speaking. “Shattered Sword, Midway.” Immediately a reference came up to a book by that title, Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway, by Jonathan Parshall.

  “This man has done an extensive analysis of a battle you have yet to fight, the decisive engagement my First Officer was commenting on earlier, the Battle of Midway. It was there that we lost all four fleet carriers assigned to the Kido Butai, and over 300 planes with our best pilots, effectively ending our ability to cover offensive operations with naval air power. You are a great proponent of the naval air arm, and so you must realize how much this hobbled us and forced us on to the defensive. That was the great turning point in the war here, at least as we know the history. After Midway, the Americans took the offensive, and never relinquished it until they finally leapt from one island to the next, ending at Okinawa and planning the actual invasion of our home islands. It was then that the war ended, in August of 1945, with the terrible bombing of two of our cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, each destroyed by the weapon Lieutenant Commander Fukada spoke of earlier. Here, let me show you campaign maps and photography.”

  For the next hour, Yamamoto sat mesmerized before what he had first called a flattened typewriter and strange black panel, which suddenly bloomed in full color maps overlaid with thrusting arrows showing the inevitable Advance of the United States Navy and their Allies. Then he was stunned to see the images presented, of the ships, planes and men he knew so very well. The images would haunt him for the remainder of his life, particularly those of his carriers burning, the sinking of Yamato and Musashi, the terrible bombing of Japan, and the massive mushroom cloud over Hiroshima, the utter devastation after that bombing, and the terrible aftereffects.

  He closed his eyes, thinking. Everything he had feared was depicted in these images and maps, written up in these documents with such astounding detail, as if it had already happened. How was this possible? Who could have concocted all this material, built this ship, crewed it with these men, and sent it to me like this? It makes absolutely no sense… Unless… their story is true.

  After leaving the Admiral quietly at his workstation, Captain Harada finally returned and waited respectfully at his side. “Have you seen enough, or would you care to see more?”

  Yamamoto turned to him, with an almost leaden slowness. The renowned leader was not a big man, only five feet three inches tall, and now he seemed smaller yet, as if weighed down by all he had seen, carrying it on his shoulders like a shroud in black and white. He rubbed his brow. Feeling the same dark mood that had fallen on him just after the successful, yet abortive attack on Pearl Harbor. They were going to lose this war, he knew. It was only a matter of time. Hiryu was already gone, Akagi and Kaga in the dry docks for upgrades. Mutsu had been pummeled by a ship they had never even seen, Mizuchi, the demon of the sea. Something warned him that if he ordered a major operation up north to secure that flank of the Empire again, that unseen demon would wreak havoc, and exact a terrible cost.

  Could it also be a ship from the future, as Harada suggests? If so, what chance have we against its terrible weapons? Even as he thought that, he realized the answer to his fears was right beneath his feet. The Java operation had been rudely upset by the rage of nature, and then this strange ship and crew appeared, and with the most preposterous and outrageous story he had ever hea
rd, but with a ship that dazzled him with its incredible capabilities, equipment and weapons.

  “Admiral,” said Harada, “I urge you to find a way to seek terms with the Americans—now, while we still have the navy mostly intact. Even if that means we must concede certain territories we have already taken, would not peace under those conditions be infinitely more preferable than the war you were just looking at, especially considering the outcome. Seek terms, sir. Get the best deal you can for Japan while we still hold the advantage.”

  “Your incredible story aside,” said Yamamoto, “what you say makes a good deal of sense. But realize that such decisions may not be entirely up to me. Tojo commands the Army, and I do not expect that he will wish to relinquish any of the territories this offensive has seized, or even consider what you are suggesting.”

  “What about the Emperor, sir. You could go to Emperor Hirohito and make a direct appeal. If he could be persuaded, Tojo might be forced to comply with his wishes.”

  “Perhaps…” The image of a child burned in the searing fires of Hiroshima was the last he had seen, and it lingered on the screen, haunting him. He stood up slowly, looked around the room, seeing nothing on this ship that in any way looked like the other ships in the fleet he commanded. It did, indeed, appear as though it had been built in another world.

  “I have asked you to accept an impossible story,” said Harada. “I have tried your patience, or perhaps even courted death in what I came here to do. Yet in those images you have just clearly seen my motive. I urge you to strongly consider what we have proposed.”

  “I will do this,” said Yamamoto, “but it seems your First Officer has other ideas.”

  “I will deal with him privately, sir. That is my concern.”

  “Very well… Captain Harada, I hope you realize the difficulties in what you ask. Suppose I do manage to convince the Emperor of the folly in continuing this war. Suppose he orders Tojo to find a way to negotiate terms? Then we have others to convince, the British, The Siberians, the Americans. They will demand we give back every territory they once possessed, and then Japan will be returned to the state it was in before the war. We struck south for a reason, to secure the oil and resources our Empire needs to survive. The American embargo had much to do with our decision to strike them at Pearl Harbor, even if it does seem misguided in light of the things I have seen here.”

  “That is what we must negotiate, a lifting of that embargo to allow Japan free access to those resources. Yet instead of seizing them by force, we will purchase them from the Dutch.”

  “That may sound reasonable, but realize that many men have died in this war. The Army, and our own SNLF Naval troops have taken a very hard line, particularly in China.”

  “That is another problem. China fights Japan now, and our presence there comes to no good. It sews the seeds of enmity for decades, even to my time. China will be torn by a terrible civil war after we leave, and the government that arises will be very austere and oppressive at the outset. Then, ironically, China becomes a major world power, with a massive economy and industrial capacity even exceeding that of the United States. Their navy has nearly 700 ships by 2021, while we have barely 150. Their vast population sees over 600 million men fit for active service, and another 20 million men reaching military age every year. No nation on earth could ever invade or occupy China again, and in my time, they are the ones seeking to use that navy to expand their grasp of vital natural resources.”

  “It never ends,” said Yamamoto sadly.

  “Unfortunately, the war we were facing in my time was far more serious. The terrible weapons that ended this war will threaten to destroy the entire world, civilization itself. If that could be prevented somehow… If a way could be found to make amends with China.”

  Yamamoto smiled, then his face seemed lifeless and forlorn. “Does your library record an incident at the city of Nanking?”

  “It does.”

  “Then you know what the army did there…. I think it will be very difficult for the Chinese to forgive or forget. Captain, should I attempt to do what you ask, and fail to secure the cooperation necessary to achieve peace, then what? We will be forced to walk the road we have already chosen. Will your ship and crew fight for Japan, or for the enemy that became your friend and ally?”

  “Sir, we were in the process of trying to answer that question among ourselves. This mission, to try and reach you with this proposal, was the first option put forward.”

  “I see… And what other options did you consider?”

  “Burning this ship, and marooning ourselves on some isolated place. That was one possible choice that entered my mind, yet my First Officer argued strongly that we had the ability to affect the outcome of this war—not only with Takami, but with the knowledge we possessed in this library. Coming here like this was a risky thing to do. Your Chief of Staff had his hand on the hilt of his sword all too often when we told you who we really were. Then we learned of this Russian ship, and when I realized what this vessel might be, and who its Captain might be, I felt very conflicted. The Russians, you see, were our enemies in my time as well. You say there was already an engagement fought with this Russian ship, and you have seen the results. Be very careful, Admiral, very cautious. If that ship is the battlecruiser Kirov, it is extremely dangerous, with an array of ship killing missiles that you could not oppose. Do not send another task force north to confront this ship. Your losses will be very heavy, and I doubt you will ever see the enemy that inflicts this harm.”

  “What about this ship, Takami? Your First Officer suggested we should fight together to vanquish this foe. Would you be willing to do this if so ordered? For that matter, are you willing to concede authority over the deployment of this ship to me, as Admiral of the Combined Fleet, or do you anticipate attempting to operate independently?”

  Now Harada shrugged. He had not yet thought all this through, but he knew he had to give Yamamoto something here in exchange for all he was asking of this man.

  “It was our faith in you that led me to choose this option and take the risk in coming here like this. Revealing the information I have just shown you was also a very great risk. Telling you I know the hour and day of your death was a daring thing to do, and I beg your pardon if I have offended you. Yet decisions are for both Captains and Admirals to make, in spite of Ugaki’s opinion, so I will make one here and now. Sir, I would be honored to serve under your command.”

  Yamamoto nodded. “Then this day, we sail for Japan—Yokohama. I will request an audience with the Emperor, though I do not think it would be wise to reveal the things you have told me here, or even reveal the existence of this ship. When it comes to Tojo, I may have to take a different approach,”

  “I understand, sir.”

  “Very well, let us go and see if Admiral Ugaki has taken your First Officer’s head. These events have certainly taken mine, and I must find another if I am to command this fleet from this day forward. This war has only just begun….”

  Chapter 32

  For Britain, the war was already very old, a weary struggle that had seemed to have no prospect for real victory. The coming of Kirov had been the first ray of hope, and these strange interlopers from another time had come like King Arthur’s Knights returning in time of greatest need. Churchill was delighted and relieved, seeing the arrival of Kinlan in the desert in just that same light. Now he was preoccupied with the shifting of forces precipitated by the withdrawal of the 6th and 7th Australian Divisions to the Pacific. To replace these troops, it had been necessary to call on the services of the South Africans, and they sent two divisions. To these they added the 70th Infantry division, and then began to make arrangements to send another first line unit, the 50th Northumbrian, from the UK. These troops, and the 4th and 5th Indian Divisions, were enough to hold the line in North Africa.

  One Brigade of the 2nd New Zealand Division had already been sent to Singapore, and there were rumblings that the other two would soon have to go alo
ng with them. Yet Churchill was chafing to get the war moving in the other direction. It was one thing to make a brave stand, as Montgomery had done at Tobruk and Singapore. What he wanted now was some kind of an offensive that could put the enemy on notice and also convince the Americans that Great Britain was going to be a force worth supporting to the very end. Before these able troops from New Zealand were also withdrawn, he therefore began pressuring Wavell to plan yet another major offensive aimed at liberating all of Libya, and finally defeating Erwin Rommel.

  “Rommel is weakened by withdrawals to support this German attack into the Canary Islands. We shall have to hold on there as best we can, for the Americans will soon be at our back with strong support. In the meantime, now is the hour to strike at Rommel, and roll him back to Tripoli! If this means that we must employ the whole of our special brigade, then by all means do so. That we should have such an asset in hand, and fail to use it, would be a great error. It has served us well as a steady shield, but now let it become a flaming sword, and the bane of Hitler’s aspirations in North Africa once and for all.”

  That letter to Wavell precipitated a major planning session in Alexandria, with General O’Connor, Wavell, and Brigadier Kinlan. It was clear to them all that they could not languish on defense through the long year. Churchill’s urgings would become an operational necessity, and with each day that passed, the importance of that effort would be strengthened.

  “The Yanks are in it now,” said Wavell. “I’m to meet with General Eisenhower next month to plan how joint operations can be arranged for this theater. If we’re ever to win this thing we’ll have to join hands with the Americans and start the long road back. The defeat of French forces in Northwest Africa is already being planned, and that will mean we’ll have to also take a crack at Franco and kick the Germans off the Rock. For our part here, the Yanks can send us material support, tanks and planes, but we’ll have to show Rommel the door.”