Survive as a World War II Soldier - Chapter 113



Only Noblemtl

#113

Give me full authority over the Navy.

The King’s final demand was that, as Chief of the Naval Staff, he be given the same authority to command the Navy as an independent feudal lord of old.

In summary?

“I’m going to do whatever I want, and I have no intention of going to Congress to explain it to you. That’s what I’m saying.”

What is surprising is that Roosevelt granted everything King asked for.

It was understandable that he was offended by the pronunciation of CINCUS, the abbreviation for the First Fleet Commander, which sounded similar to Sink us, meaning we are sinking.

Honestly, I don’t understand why they haven’t changed it yet, so let’s just leave it at that.

The second and third were, frankly, acts that were far removed from the banner of civilian control.

But Roosevelt readily agreed to this. To be precise,

“Don’t worry about Congress. The new Secretary of the Navy will take care of everything. I will give you all the military command and military power. And if there’s anyone who opposes what you say, I will cut them all out. Is that okay?”

“Yes, that’s enough.”

By the way, instead of the king, he almost became my registered mate by being a cannon fodder in the parliament.

“Do you know what I’m going to do in Congress? Are you sure it’s okay, Franklin?”

Arthur III’s absurd threats were surprisingly effective.

Roosevelt sighed and pondered, judging that it would be extremely dangerous to let the man known as the second seal gangster along with King into Congress.

It was Arthur III who also offered an alternative to Roosevelt.

“How about Leehi?”

Arthur did not give the bottle and medicine, but recommended his junior, Lee, to take his place as minister.

Looking at that sight…

“Are you jealous?”

“I?”

I laughed in response to Marshall’s question.

“Shouldn’t it be you who should be jealous, not me?”

“Well, I already have everything that President King asked for.”

Thinking about Marshall’s words…

“That’s right. I’ll go to the parliament, and I’ll open the joints of the stone-heads…”

Although he did not have command authority, Marshall did not seem to have any desire for it.

I am···.

Actually, I was a little jealous of my older brother. The juniors who I could call and order around were so cool. I only had guys like George, Smith, and Patton.

But I can’t stand to see my family mate being more comfortable than me. Sooner or later,

‘If the position of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff opens up, it would be a perfect fit to put him in there.’

The first president in the history of the Republic of Korea was Lee Hee, but that was because there was no older brother at that time. As a man born in the MacArthur family, I should have an enemy at least once. I will remain at a lower rank than my younger brother for as long as I can.

Bro, just wait.

Anyway, the first thing King did after taking office as Chief of Naval Operations was to clean up the aftermath of the Battle of Guam.

The situation was honestly the worst.

I even thought that it might have been better to just let the Pearl Harbor of Yuan history happen.

In the battle that took place in the waters near Guam, no fewer than four warships were blown up by Kimmel’s pup.

What’s more serious than half the damage done to Pearl Harbor, which blew up eight ships?

Originally there were nine battleships in the Pacific Fleet, but now there are fewer, just seven.

4 out of 9 ships is less than 50%, but 4 out of 7 ships is well over half.

By the way, the current reduction in battleships in the Pacific Fleet was a butterfly effect of something I did a long time ago.

You all probably remember the time when I used the Naval Air Force for the Army Air Corps. The one who helped me at that time was the current President, Roosevelt.

Roosevelt, who had served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy, did not ignore my words that air power would become important in the future, and thanks to this, after the disarmament treaty, the Navy moved in the direction of building aircraft carriers instead of battleships.

That’s why there were fewer battleships than in the original history, and our Kimmel took advantage of that.

That wasn’t the only problem.

What was lost at Pearl Harbor was an empty battleship, but this one was jam-packed with people.

“West Virginia, California, Tennessee, Arizona···.”

“West Virginia is the most painful.”

They say the nearby ships rescued as many survivors as possible, but how many could there be?

Although it is said that ships are made with the dignity of the Celestial Empire, skilled soldiers and officers are not beings that can be produced in factories.

Especially those who served on the West Virginia, a battleship that represented the U.S. Navy for a long time···.

“They’re not the kind of people who can be raised easily. Damn it.”

And that wasn’t all. There was also no news of the aircraft carrier Enterprise.

“There is no announcement from Japan, so he must still be alive, right?”

“Well then, that would be fortunate···.”

##

“Entered battle in the first battle. West Virginia sunk.”

The atmosphere on the bridge instantly heated up at the communications officer’s shout.

“Congratulations.”

“After all, Yankees are nothing special either.”

“Let’s keep pushing forward like this and occupy Hawaii.”

Yamamoto opened his mouth with a serious face to the excited chatter of his subordinates.

“The battle is just beginning. Should everyone be let go already?”

“I’m sorry.”

The performance of the British and American warships was clearly poor.

Especially compared to their own battleships, their speed was slow.

“We have news that the 5th battle was a success and that California was hit.”

At this point, a smile began to appear on Yamamoto’s face.

“Good.”

The battle got off to a very good start.

It was a few days ago that the 5th Fleet of the South Seas Islands, which occupied Guam, discovered the Pacific Fleet near Guam.

Upon hearing the news, Yamamoto and the Combined Fleet charged at full speed.

Although the Philippine Sea is narrow compared to the Pacific Ocean, finding the other side in the vast ocean is quite a difficult task.

The United States in particular is clear,

‘Rather than engaging in a fleet battle with us, they’d rather go towards the Philippines.’

It was obvious that if supplies were to enter the isolated Luzon, it would be a headache.

“These damn bastards will be foaming at the mouth.”

There was still a lot of talk at the Imperial Headquarters about the failure to occupy Luzon. In particular, I heard that Tojo was causing quite a stir, saying that the navy was incompetent and the army couldn’t fight properly.

“The ones in Luzon have finally calmed down recently, but if we’re not careful, the supply line to the mainland could be in danger.”

So, the Pacific Fleet had to be dealt with here. For that purpose, Yamamoto had brought out all his available forces.

“If we catch those guys who crawled out this time, those evil British and American bastards will definitely not be able to come near here for a while.”

“Wouldn’t the remaining forces in Pearl Harbor be too much to defend?”

“I guess so.”

No matter how good America’s industrial power is, is it possible to build a ship in just a few days?

“We must block their path and proceed to a fleet battle unconditionally.”

“yes.”

So I ran hard to fight them before they got away.

And the slow Yankees couldn’t escape them.

The naval battle began with the aviation fleet of Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo.

The air force that took off in the first battle captured West Virginia with torpedoes, and the fifth battle captured California.

The battle that followed and its outcome were exactly as Yamamoto had expected.

“Congratulations on your victory.”

“Haha, did I do anything right?”

“The admiral’s excellent command was the greatest.”

“It’s all thanks to your help.”

While they sank all four warships that the Yankees had brought, they only lost two of their own warships.

“Since it’s an old one anyway, let’s get a new one this time.”

“Yes, if I could just pick one more of these Muto-type guys, I’d be free.”

“Fortunately, Kirishima is said to be in good shape for some repairs.”

Especially since they had the right to command the seas, they could at least salvage the sunken battleship and repair it, but the Yankees were hastily retreating, only saving the people.

The exact cost of the cruiser and destroyer losses remains to be determined, but the fact that it was a great victory seems unlikely to change.

At that moment, as shouts of victory were being shouted from the flagship carrying Admiral Yamamoto, the aircraft carrier Akagi carrying Admiral Nagumo, Commander of the Air Fleet, also had a similar atmosphere. No, it was even worse.

“No matter what anyone says, the greatest achievement in this naval battle was that of our air fleet.”

“you’re right.”

The fight between the Army and the Navy was a fight, but there was also a fight within the Navy.

In Japan, too, there was considerable friction between those who argued that aviation was important and those who argued that battleships were the foundation of the navy.

In such a situation, the performance of the air fleet in this naval battle was enough to flatten the nose of the opponent.

It was a moment when we shared the joy of victory.

“From the lookout, they reported that they had spotted a formation of enemy aircraft.”

“what?”

Admiral Nagumo opened his eyes wide and asked back at the unbelievable report.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I checked it several times···.”

The battle was already over, or so I thought, but then suddenly there was an air force.

“Isn’t the sun about to set soon?”

“Yes. The sunset···.”

Aircraft carriers were not omnipotent.

Unlike on land, night landings, especially landings, were extremely difficult on aircraft carriers with short runways.

Because of this, the carrier-based aircraft’s operational hours were entirely during the day.

“Oh, what should I do?”

Nagumo screamed at the question from his staff member who was looking at him with a puzzled face.

“What are you going to do? Am I just going to get beaten up like this?”

“Oh, no.”

The order to dispatch aircraft was given in a hurry, but it was already too late.

bang.

“Sunmi hit.”

I was out of my mind due to the unexpected night raid. Even,

Kwakwakwang.

“The ammunition depot exploded.”

“Admiral, the order to abandon ship is···.”

“shit.”

##

“Alpha Squadron enters battle, Akagi Pitan.”

“Bravo squadron, enter the battle, Kaga Pitan.”

“Akagi sinks, Kaga sinks too!”

“Wow!!!”

It was good news. The bridge was filled with cheers at the news that the target aircraft carrier had been captured.

But Admiral William Halsey couldn’t laugh.

“What about our losses?”

“Three from Bravo Squadron, and three from Alpha Squadron···.”

He attacked an enemy aircraft carrier, but it was almost like nothing happened. But he couldn’t laugh about it…

“They say it starts with the preciousness.”

“It’s just beginning.”

Originally, the most dangerous moments when piloting an aircraft were takeoff and landing.

Landing on an aircraft carrier, especially with its short runway, was incomparably more difficult and dangerous than on land.

Even night landings have been done a few times in training situations…

“Aren’t you all veterans?”

Holsey nodded at the staff’s words. Everyone else was anxious, so he knew he couldn’t show his anxiety.

Holsey muttered as he looked up at the sky.

“It’s cloudy.”

“Yes, I think the waves are unusually rough, so I think a storm is imminent.”

“I think it would be better if it was a typhoon rather than a storm···.”

After thinking for a moment, Holsey seemed to have made up his mind and gave an order.

“Prepare the flares.”

“yes?”

“Aren’t they the heroes who sank two enemy aircraft carriers? We should light a fire and welcome them brightly.”

The situation was such that they had not yet left the Philippine Sea.

Even though they have destroyers and cruisers as escorts, the Japanese Combined Fleet is still intact.

Of course, giving up light control was a dangerous thing.

However, Holsey’s words that the heroes who protected the last pride of the Navy could not be left like this were not wrong.

“All right.”

##

“Squadron leader, over there···”

Before the radio transmission from his wingman had even finished, Richard felt a pang in his stomach.

Late in the afternoon, he was the one who went to the admiral and proposed an operation, saying that he could not stand by and watch the unbelievable news of defeat.

It was pilots like him who knew better than anyone how difficult it was to land at night. Every time I landed in broad daylight, it felt like a crash, not a landing.

“They certainly wouldn’t have the slightest idea that we would emerge and attack at this hour.”

“Yes, it would be a perfect surprise.”

“Then what about goodness?”

He lied to the admiral without batting an eye when he told him that while it was fine to beat up those Japanese, he had a duty to return home with the ship and the veterans on board.

“We can do instrument flying too. There’s no way we can’t do what those damn dogs can do.”

The admiral was fooled even though he knew full well that it was a lie. The admiral was also a licensed pilot and knew the training process of the Naval Air Force better than anyone else.

“If we retreat like this, the Pacific will belong to the Japs for at least three years. At the very least, shouldn’t we send two or three of their aircraft carriers along with the West Virginia?”

Finally, the words of permission fell from the admiral’s mouth.

“The special forces will be formed only with volunteers, those who are proficient in instrument flying, and veterans with at least 30 landings and takeoffs.”

“Old story.”

Naturally, there was an abundance of volunteers.

And as expected, the results were also good.

The sinking of the Akagi and Kaga.

At least to this extent, I thought I wouldn’t be embarrassed in front of my colleagues who had gone before me.

Naturally, the radio station on the way back was filled with excited voices.

But as the Enterprise got closer, everyone’s voices began to change.

Before departure, I boasted loudly that I was confident, but in this pitch-black darkness, I felt gloomy when I thought about being kind.

But the moment I saw the flares rising to match their approach, the tension disappeared without a trace.

“How do I do it?”

“Why would you turn down a welcome with all those bright lights on?”

“No.”

“Everyone, wake up.”

Richard lowered the nose, gripping the joystick tightly as he recalled the kind moments he had repeated dozens of times.

“Uh, uh. Shit.”

“Run, check the pilot first.”

“Clean up quickly. Next one is coming.”

Even though he ignored the blackout control and guided the aircraft formation to take off, the accident was unavoidable.

“The loss of good is greater than the loss of life during the operation.”

“···”

“Okay, now let’s run away at full speed.”

The Japanese army’s attack was unavoidable because they had lit up the city brightly with flares being fired.

However, thanks to a typhoon that happened to hit at that time, the Enterprise barely managed to survive even though it was completely destroyed.

Of course, the fact that their activities were reported late was also due to the typhoon.

Anyway, this operation, which was named the Best Special Forces, barely saved the damaged pride of the Navy.

It was only natural that the pilots, including Richard Halsey Best, became national stars.

However, although it was a happy thing that Japan was dealt a blow, it did not change the fact that they had lost control of the Pacific Ocean.

“It takes time to rebuild the Pacific Fleet.”

Unlike tanks, ships were large objects that took some time to build.

And there was someone who came running in a hurry after hearing this news.

“I heard the Pacific is closed anyway? Then come play with us!”

That’s right. Those fucking Tommys were glaring and biting our arms.

Why do you ask me that?