The Rise of the Third Reich

From Kauai Island in the distance, there was still a faint sound of gunfire. After dozens of nautical miles, it was like faint thunder. This is a small Japanese ship shelling the US military position on Kauai in order to support the landing operation of Taiwan's mixed brigade. The landing ship group carrying seven to eight thousand Japanese troops has arrived on the Pacific Ocean near Kauai with murderous intent.

Farther away, on the sea near Oahu, a larger fleet appeared, with 5 powerful battleships and 9 aircraft carriers as the core, as well as dozens of cruisers, destroyers, and dozens of Oil tankers, ammunition ships, supply ships, laying ships. Formations were laid out on the dark sea, like a floating city.

The three main forces of the Japanese Combined Fleet, the First Mobile Fleet, the First Fleet and the Hawaii Dispatch Fleet, finally completed the merger on the evening of December 12, local time in Hawaii. General Yamamoto Isoroku, who was in charge of the "Yamato Hotel", now took over the command of the Hawaii battlefield. This also announced the official start of the second phase of "Operation Z Plan".

Before Yamamoto's battleship Yamato arrived, four battleships (Nagato, Mutsu, Hiei, and Kirishima) commanded by Vice Admiral Takasu Shiro had already carried out the first attack on Oahu under the cover of darkness on the evening of the 11th. This was a tentative bombardment, and the target of the bombardment was mainly the oil depot area in Hawaii.

For safety reasons, the four battleships opened fire on the ocean more than 20 kilometers and nearly 30 kilometers away from Oahu. They relied on a large seaplane "Type 2 Large Boat" to correct the ballistics in the air. A total of nearly a thousand hits were fired. Large-caliber artillery shells were fired and several oil tanks were exploded. The U.S. fort on Oahu and the two stranded battleships also fired back, but the fire was inaccurate and none of the shells hit the target.

Tonight, Yamamoto Isoroku, who had just taken over the command, did not order another bombardment. Instead, he invited Takasu Shiro and Nagumo Chuichi to the "Yamato Hotel" to discuss the war situation with them in person.

"Commander, after days of bombing and air battles, the U.S. shore-based aircraft on Oahu have basically lost their combat effectiveness." Nagumo Chuichi assured Yamamoto Isoroku in the commander's office on the Yamato, "We will continue to receive the response." In the ongoing battle, there is no need to consider the threat of US military shore-based aircraft. However, the US military's ground air defense firepower on Oahu is relatively strong. In the air strikes on the 10th, 11th and today, there were 6, 5 and 4 aircraft respectively. A plane was shot down."

"There is no need to bomb Oahu starting tomorrow," Yamamoto Isoroku said. "We must maintain the strength of the carrier-based aircraft force and prepare for a decisive battle with U.S. aircraft carriers."

"Hai!" Nan Yunzhong nodded.

Yamamoto looked at Takasu Shiro and said: "The Hawaii dispatch fleet and the 1st Fleet have merged. Takasu-kun will still serve as the commander of the 1st Fleet, and the flagship will be on the Nagato. Starting tomorrow, the 1st Fleet will attack during the day, Continuously bombard Oahu with powerful firepower!”

"Hai!" Takasu Shiro nodded heavily.

Yamamoto Isoroku's plan for the decisive battle was very simple, which was to use five battleships to bombard Oahu, and at the same time allow the Taiwanese mixed brigade to land on Kauai, while the eight aircraft carriers of the First Mobile Fleet were recuperating and waiting. The main force of the U.S. Pacific Fleet came back for a decisive battle.

At the same time, the two divisions originally prepared for the Philippines landing operation and the two divisions on standby boarded the transport ship and were heading towards Hawaii under the escort of the Third Fleet. If the First Mobile Fleet can defeat the U.S. Pacific Fleet, then Oahu is a sure bet.

"The decisive battle is expected to take place on the 15th to the 18th," Yamamoto Isoroku turned to Chuichi Nagumo and said, "This battle is related to the rise and fall of the empire. I hope Nagumo-kun and the First Mobile Fleet will work hard!"

Since Halsey's carrier-based aircraft bombed Saipan, Yamamoto Isoroku could roughly estimate the time when the decisive battle occurred based on the distance between Saipan and Oahu. If Halsey's fleet takes the risk of taking a straight line to return reinforcements, the decisive battle will occur on the 15th. If Halsey's fleet takes a Z-shaped anti-submarine route, the decisive battle will occur on December 18, 1941.

…

"Damn, these Japs must be crazy!"

In the waters near Midway Island, aboard the USS Pennsylvania, the flagship of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Admiral Kimmel said to Rear Admiral Fletcher, who had just assumed the post of Chief of Staff of the Pacific Fleet: "They must want to seize Hawaii. Damn it... all of us. They all underestimated the madness of the Japanese devils, these yellow-skinned monkeys are a bunch of lunatics!”

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was completely unexpected, and now they are even more serious about capturing Oahu! Although this style of play is a bit crazy, it completely disrupted the United States' position.

"Admiral, it is impossible for the Japanese to capture Oahu." Major General Fletcher shook his head and said, "There are many fortresses on Oahu, and there are about 60,000 defenders. The weapons and ammunition reserves are very sufficient. Moreover, there are Two Colorado-class battleships were stranded near Fortress Williston. Last night, the four Japanese battleships did not dare to approach and only dared to fire from 16 nautical miles away. "

"Of course they can't conquer Oahu!" Kimmel forced a smile. "Oahu will be fine. The Japanese will definitely get a bloody blow there."

Major General Fletcher had already guessed Kimmel's intention, "Admiral, are we going to use the Oahu fortress to weaken the Japanese fleet?"

"Yes," Kimmel clapped his hands and said, "That's it! Oahu is the strongest fortress in the world, and no one can take it down. But this alone is not enough for us to defeat the Japanese devils... We must find a way to send the P51 and SBD shipped from the mainland to Oahu. As long as the air force on the island can be replenished with planes, the Japanese devils can only retreat from Hawaii in disgrace." After several days of air raids and air battles, the planes of the Navy Air Force and the Army Air Force on Oahu have been exhausted. However, there are many pilots on the island, because most of the planes were destroyed on the ground, and most of the remaining ones were shot down in air battles over Oahu. Therefore, the consumption of pilots is not large. If we simply compare the losses of American and Japanese pilots, then the losses of the Japanese must be greater. But without planes, there is no way to fight even if there are only pilots. Therefore, replenishing planes for Oahu has now become the key to the victory or defeat of the Hawaiian battle. "The transport ship cannot approach Oahu," said Rear Admiral Fletcher. "There are four Japanese battleships near Oahu. Even if the main force of the Pacific Fleet is used for escort, it is uncertain because at least one of the four Japanese battleships is a Nagato-class."

Not counting the Colorado, which is still under repair on the west coast, the battleships that can fight in the Pacific Fleet are the Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Nevada, which are no match for the two Nagato-class ships. Because the two "Nagato" participated in the bombardment of Oahu on the night of the 11th, the Americans have already judged that at least one "Nagato" class is near Oahu through the craters made by the main gun shells of the Nagato and Mutsu.

"Let the transport fleet enter the Hilo Port on the island of Hawaii," Kimmel thought for a while and said, "and then let the plane take off from the airport near the Hilo Port and fly to Oahu."

The Hilo Port on the island of Hawaii is about 350 kilometers away from the Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, which is basically at the edge of the attack radius of the Japanese aircraft carrier. Japanese planes did not bomb Hilo Harbor these days, but the Japanese army would certainly not ignore the existence of Hilo Harbor.

"There must be Japanese submarines or light ships patrolling near Hilo Harbor, and their seaplanes must fly farther." Major General Fletcher thought, "Unless we can lure the Japanese aircraft carriers away from Oahu, the transport fleet will still not be able to get close to Hilo Harbor."

"I'm afraid it won't work to use battleships." Kimmel walked to the chart table with his arms folded, "If they wanted to sink our battleships, they would have followed us long ago." He paused and said, "Only Halsey's aircraft carriers can be used! Use the 1st Task Force to lure the enemy, and we will go around to the east of Hawaii to meet up with the transport ships from the mainland, and then escort them into Hilo Harbor."

When Kimmel and Fletcher were discussing military intelligence, the communications staff in the bridge of the "Pennsylvania" suddenly shouted: "Admiral, a telegram from the Marines on Kauai, the Japanese have landed on Kauai!"

...

At the same time

Dozens of Japanese landing craft, the Type B large engine boats, broke through the fog on the sea surface in the early morning of December 13, and landed on a beach on the east side of Kauai with a bang.

Before the landing craft had stopped, the Japanese officers and soldiers loaded on it had already jumped off. These people were not naval officers who were used to the bumpy sea, but officers and soldiers of the Japanese Army Taiwan Mixed Brigade. They rode the 11,800-ton "Akitsu Maru" on the sea for more than ten days and almost twenty days. They were exhausted by seasickness, and most of them had weak legs and feet. Now they are fighting for their loyalty to the emperor and going to the battlefield.

If they were asked to land on Oahu now, they would most likely be easily eliminated by the US troops defending the beachhead. However, on the beach of Kauai, there were no American soldiers armed to the teeth waiting for them.

Although these exhausted and possibly sick Japanese soldiers belonged to the elite Taiwan mixed brigade, it was their first time to go to the battlefield. They were all nervous, fearing that they would be killed by the soldiers who came out of nowhere.

Suddenly, someone shouted in Taiwanese Japanese: "We have set foot on American land! It is worth dying here!"

Lieutenant Kozaki, the leader of the Japanese squadron, looked back and saw that it was Taiwanese volunteer soldier Iwasato Takenori who shouted. Kozaki also drew his command knife and shouted: "Are the warriors of Kyushu (most of the Taiwanese brigade are Kyushu soldiers) not as good as the Taiwanese? Charge! Kill all the American devils! Kill them..."