Steel Reign (Kirov Series Book 23)

by John Schettler

  “Have you run this by anyone else?”

  “Rear Admiral Layton, and he thinks it’s good. He wanted me to get this to you right away.”

  “What about Tommy Dyer?”

  “I’ll get to him next. I wanted you to see this first hand.”

  Rochefort thought for a moment. “Let me look over those traffic decrypts. A lot is riding on this, and we need to get our ducks lined up perfectly. Did you put these latest ship movements up on the big board yet?”

  Holmes was in charge of tracking all ship movements, and he had rigged out a large plotting board on the wall where he would update positions on all the key players in this complex game of chess in the Pacific.

  “Find anything else we’ve got on A.F. See if you can cross reference anything. I think the file is under that box there.” Rochefort pointed to a clutter of boxes and stacks of paperwork surrounding one of the other desks like a coral reef. Each man sat on his private little island, with mountains of file folders and jungles of paperwork. They never did set up any proper filing system, but there was a hidden order to the apparent chaos, and just like that, Rochefort could point to a box on the floor and know the A.F. ship track file was tucked away beneath it. Many of the men there had near photographic memory for things like that. To them the clutter was like a road map or navigation chart, and they could read it unerringly.

  “So you figure this is what they called off the Indian Ocean thing for?” Rochefort scratched his head.

  “They had 5th Carrier Division all set to move that way after Java, but then that volcano popped off and that was that.”

  “I don’t blame them,” said Rochefort. He leaned back, taking a short drag on his pipe.

  “Sir,” said Holmes. “We know what they want. It’s either Milne Bay and Moresby in the Coral Sea, the lower Solomons—probably the anchorage at Tulagi, and then something big has been in the works after that, and for a good long while.”

  “Right,” said Rochefort. “Marines are already working up plans for Tulagi. But these carrier movements are another thing altogether. You figure they’d move with only three?”

  “I’m watching the light stuff too, sir. I’ve got a line on Zuiho, Shoho, and Ryujo—that’s the CVE they used in the Sumatra-Java invasion. They pulled that ship east to Rabaul, and whatever was left of that covering force off Java. Everything is shifting that way, and the buildup at Truk is looking pretty mean.”

  “Nothing on Fiji?”

  “Not a peep. Not a whisper. That would be a third of fourth down objective for any drive they run now.”

  “Alright. Get me the intercepts. I want to look things over before we go to Nimitz with this, but we’ll have to move soon. Enterprise and Hornet made it back to Pearl, and they’ll have to get to sea fast if you’re right about this.”

  “Leave it to me sir!” Holmes snapped off a quick salute and then hurried off through the archipelago of desks and file boxes, destination unknown.

  Rochefort settled back in his chair, his eye on a map. Big Five was already at Truk with Zuikaku and Shokaku. Now Nagumo was shipping in on the Akagi, and with the number one fleet tanker in the mix. Yamato was at Davao, and coast watchers there said there was quite a show put on there—something about rockets being fired off. Probably flares or signal rockets, he thought. You had to be careful with some of these native coastwatcher types. You’d get in a report that sounded crazy at first—a large bird reportedly landing on a ship at sea, which immediately sunk from the heavy weight. That nonsense soon became the landing of a seaplane rendezvousing with a Japanese submarine, which then submerged.

  Well, we thought Yamato was heading home, but that ship turned for Truk last week as well. Holmes says the Japs fell for his little ruse hook, line and sinker, but who’s the real fisherman here? Yamamoto doesn’t fool around when it comes to big ship movements like this. I’ll tell you what, there are two types of fisherman—those who fish for sport, and those who fish for fish. Yamamoto is looking to land something real big here. Yes, something is up… something real big.

  Part V

  Developments

  “I have added these principles to the law of chess: get the Knights into action before both Bishops are developed.”

  ― Emanuel Lasker

  Chapter 13

  Warrant Flying Officer Nobuo Fujita had been a very busy man of late, rightfully claiming the undisputed title of Kantai no me, the ‘Eyes of the Fleet.’ He was first called ‘the other Fujita,’ though he was no relation to the now famous Mitsuo Fujita who led the attack at Pearl Harbor. Nobuo had been in on that operation, assigned as the float plane pilot for the submarine I-25, though he had been disappointed when his plane failed to start on the eve of that momentous day. So only one Fujita claimed any laurels on the opening day of the war, but the other Fujita had been feverishly busy ever since, as if he was out to write his name in the history of these events, come what may.

  The I-25 was a curious boat, with a canopy that enclosed a watertight “hanger” of sorts just forward of the conning tower. It was just big enough to house a slightly disassembled Yokosuka E14Y float plane, which was mainly used at night for search and reconnaissance operations. The sub would lurk submerged by day, creeping about at the sedate speed of eight or nine knots, but after sunset, it could surface and speed off at up to 23 knots to perform its primary role as a fleet scouting unit.

  After the disappointment of Pearl Harbor, the sub tussled with shipping off the coast of Oregon before returning to Kwajalein. Then, on its second wartime patrol, it was sent to the deep South Pacific to take a look at the buildup that might be underway in Allied controlled ports. Fujita had brazenly scouted Sidney, Melbourne, Hobart, and then I-25 cruised over to have a look at New Zealand. There he carefully noted the buildup of troops arriving at Wellington and Aukland, some of the first ports to receive the new arrivals from the United States. Word then came that one final stop was to be added to the mission—Fiji.

  Out on the exposed deck just after sunset, he worked with two other men to quickly get the wings mounted properly, and check the undercarriage. The engine had been running smoothly in all these recon operations, and he had every hope that his mission over Suva Bay would be routine. At that time, Fujita did not know of the big operation planned for Fiji. The stratospheric clouds of high level strategy seldom rained on his pay grade. He was simply out to conduct one of his stealthy night recon sweeps, and see what the Allies might have cooking in the harbor there.

  What he saw instead that night came as quite an unexpected surprise. He had been drifting through a roll of low clouds, emerging over a wide swath of moonlit water, when he clearly saw the dark shapes of ships off his three o’clock heading. And these were not just any ships, the long flat decks and characteristic island superstructures immediately told him they were aircraft carriers—two of them, surrounded by several cruiser class ships and a gaggle of destroyers.

  Nobuo Fujita had just spotted TF-11 under Admiral Fletcher, and the two carriers he was eyeing were the Yorktown and Saratoga. The latter was not yet present in Fedorov’s history. Its sister ship, the Lexington, would have taken this watch, but that ship was already deep in Davey Jones Locker. Fletcher had come in with the Yorktown as TF-17, and Saratoga was in TF-11, but now, after refueling from tankers on site, both TFs were about to unite into one battlegroup—Taffy 11.

  Fujita got quite an eyeful that night, lingering just long enough to take careful note of probable ship types. He counted two carriers, at least seven cruisers, and eight destroyers before sliding away into those clouds, grateful they were there to mask his retreat to the I-25. The signal he would sent out that day would bounce from that sub, to the 4th Fleet Headquarters in Rabaul, and then to Combined Fleet Headquarters in Truk. The American carriers had been found, and Fujita had the first real feather of the war in his cap as he walked in his namesake’s shadow.

  He would later do one more thing that would get him some ink in the ledger of these events. O
perating off the US coast in a later patrol, Fujita would fly deep into the Cascades of Oregon, and drop a pair of incendiary bombs with the intention of starting a forest fire. That plan would fail, though the bombing raid itself would be the first, and perhaps the last aerial raid ever mounted on the Continental United States during the war. That distinction would go to Nobuo Fujita, but in the overall scheme of things, the sighting he had just made would weigh far heavier on the scales of time and fate, and for a very odd reason. A Warrant Officer on a sub that had been at sea for over a month might be one of the last people in the long chain of command to get notice of things like the order to move to Naval Code Book C, effective April 10, 1942. They didn’t have a copy of that new book yet on the I-25, so the signal Fujita would send went out using the old code, Book B.

  * * *

  It was a full 48 hours later before Yamamoto actually was informed of the sighting. Admiral Ugaki came in, somewhat breathless from the long climb up four decks into Yamato’s high conning section. The fleet had been assembling at Truk, with Carrier Division 5 reporting three days ago, refueling, and then immediately putting out to sea again for the first phase of the operation. Today the arrival of the newly refitted Akagi would complete the strike forces available in theater. Kaga was still back in Japan, her damage heavier than the minor hit on the Akagi, so that ship would sit the battle out in the shipyards. Tosa was to have also joined the fleet at Truk, but Admiral Nagano had been worried about the Siberians, so it was retained in home waters as well. This left four fleet carriers, and three more lighter escort carriers available for Operation FS.

  “Admiral, we have a sighting report off submarine I-25. The American carriers have been spotted south of Fiji!”

  Yamamoto looked up from his desk, clearly interested. “How many carriers?”

  “Two definite, with a strong escort of cruisers and destroyers. It was a night sighting, so there was no word as to ship ID on the carriers.”

  “That does not matter. When was the sighting made?”

  “I’m afraid that’s the problem. The report is already nearly 48 hours old. It was sent from the I-25 using Code Book B, but someone had the presence of mind to find and use Book C at Rabaul when they passed it on here.”

  Yamamoto considered that. “Even at only 18 knots,” he said, “this task force could be over 800 nautical miles from the reported sighting location. And while it is understandable that our submarine might not yet have the updated code books, the fact that this signal was sent in a version we know has been compromised also presents a problem. The Americans may have intercepted it, and in that case, they would know we spotted them.”

  “Perhaps they are forming to oppose Operation MO,” said Ugaki.” That was Phase One of the overall Operation FS, the Port Moresby Operation. “If there is any part of our planning they might be privy to, it would be this opening move towards Port Moresby.”

  “In that case,” said Yamamoto, “these carriers could have moved 800 miles west by now, right into the Coral Sea. It will be necessary to make certain Admiral Inoue has alerted Carrier Division 5. They should be entering the Coral Sea as we speak.”

  “They will be more than capable of handling the situation,” said Ugaki.

  “Perhaps, but here we sit with the FS Invasion group, and the newest addition to our fleet out there in the lagoon. It was my hope that Takami would be present for any engagement with the Americans. Then we might actually see if this ship can do all that it promises.”

  “The Sakaguchi Detachment is ready to board transports for Noumea. We could take the fleet out in support of that mission, and it might get us into this fight,” said Ugaki, an eager light in his eye. “After we deliver our charge to Noumea, we would also be in a good position to move north when 48th Division is formed up and ready to move on Fiji. Hopefully, this business in the Coral Sea will have concluded before that, and we can proceed with the main operation.”

  Yamamoto nodded, but he was not so confident. It was as if he could feel the impending shadow that fell on Japanese Naval operations at this time. The brief hour he had spent in that library aboard Takami had been very sobering.

  We wanted Port Moresby, and they stopped us, he thought. I wanted Midway, and they crushed us there. We wanted Tulagi and Guadalcanal, and they took hold of us by the throat and did not let go until our breath was cut off and the last starving remnants of our forces there made that ignominious withdrawal. Three battles, three defeats, not to mention the little incident at Milne Bay, where we were stopped yet again, this time by the Australians.

  Up until now, we have been virtually invincible. Yet this battle that could soon be joined in the Coral Sea begins to take on the eerie tinge of that shadow. Carrier Division 5 is alone to face two American Carriers.

  “Don’t you see what is happening here?” he said with an edge of warning. “This is the battle that truculent officer spoke of in the Coral Sea. Here I sit with Akagi, and Soryu, ready to cover the movement of our support convoy to Noumea, but too far north to get into this fight. Zuiho, and Shoho are in the Shortlands supporting the Tulagi Operation, and then they were to stand as close support for the MO operation. Ryujo will be sent towards Midway as part of the ruse we have planned. Where might the other American carriers be now? This Lieutenant Commander Fukada tells me they will be no closer than Midway, at least according to what he knows.”

  “Yet can I trust the shadows of these events as they were written up in those books? They have already told me things here are different from the history they claim to know. How very strange all this is now. I have decided there will be no battle of Midway this spring. So what does that mean for the remainder of the history chronicled in that library. It becomes no more than a fiction, while I sit here, about to rewrite all the events yet to come in this war. How very strange….”

  “That sighting report is very stale and, if it was intercepted, the Americans will be aware that they have been located. So where would they go? That will depend on how much they really know about our operational planning. Something tells me they know about Operation MO, but do they also know of our planned move against Fiji? Our planned reinforcement of Noumea? Both operations would seem easy enough to predict.”

  “There is one other thing,” said Ugaki. “Due to the presence of those carriers, the seaplane off I-25 was unable to proceed to Suva Bay as planned. So we do not have a current update on the enemy strength there. Therefore, the Army believes it is advisable to move at least two regiments of the 48th Division to Fiji in the first wave instead of only one.”

  “Are they ready at Rabaul?”

  “Abe’s 47th Regiment and Tanaka’s 2nd Formosa Regiment are already there. It is only a question of arranging shipping, as the transports that delivered Tanaka must return to Java for the 1st Formosa Regiment. We will have enough at Rabaul to lift one regiment as planned. The Abe detachment was scheduled to board tonight. However, I must communicate with 17th Army Headquarters to see what the requirements are to lift a second regiment.”

  Yamamoto scratched his eyebrow, breathing deeply. “This operation is scheduled to begin tomorrow, and suddenly the Army changes its mind, and here we are scrambling for adequate shipping.”

  “The losses off Java contributed to that,” said Ugaki. “Over a dozen transports were lost in the eruption and subsequent tsunami. We are moving additional shipping down from the Philippines, but it will take a few days. Considering that, I have an alternate plan. Should there be any delay in getting additional shipping to Rabaul, we can merely substitute the Sakaguchi detachment for that second regiment. It is here in Truk, and already scheduled for the run to Noumea. Then, as shipping becomes available, the Tanaka Detachment of the 48th Division can go to Noumea in place of Sakaguchi’s troops.”

  “Will the Army agree to that?”

  “This is what I will discuss with 17th Army Headquarters.”

  “All these plans,” said Yamamoto. “We string them out like webs, but where is the spid
er I-25 spotted nearly two days ago? Soon we will have the bulk of all our available troops in theater at sea, and we do not know where those two carriers went, or even if they might remain in the waters near Fiji. If so, then we may wish to combine both 2nd and 5th Carrier Divisions before we move east.”

  “A wise precaution,” said Ugaki.

  “But yet we do not know if 5th Carrier Division might be engaged if the Americans do challenge Operation MO.”

  “Sir, we have Takami. If their claims can be believed, then their radar and sonar should be able to locate these enemy carriers if they remain anywhere near the Fiji Islands. In my judgment, it should be safe to proceed to Fiji with the 2nd Carrier Division alone.”

  “One minute you tell me it would be wise to combine our fleet carrier divisions. in the next you tell me we should leave them operating as separate groups. Admiral, which is it?”

  “That is a question I might best answer in another 48 hours. By that time, the MO operation will be well underway. If the Americans have moved west to attempt to oppose us there, we should know that soon. And sir, if that is the case, then we could cover the Fiji invasion transports with a close support group build around Zuiho and Shoho in the Shortlands. That would leave our 2nd Carrier Division free to swing south behind the American carriers.”

  “I see you have considered every eventuality,” said Yamamoto, “but battle has a way of creating circumstances that may not be easily remedied. Very well, if the Army agrees, then we will order the Sakaguchi Regiment to board transports tonight as well. It will support the Fiji landings as you suggest, and Tanaka’s troops can reinforce Noumea later.”