Disclaimer: This story is the property of AJ Marks, ©2005. Any names or scenes are subject to change without warning.

Comments: Please send comments to AJMarks01@aol.com

Sea Aflame

By

AJ Marks

January 21, 1945

A cool crisp breeze brought the sea salt smell of the nearby ocean towards a large group of people surrounding the bow of a massive hull of a new ship that was being launched. There was quite a lot of fanfare around the ship as people celebrated the launching of the latest battleship for the Kreigsmarine. This hull was one of the largest yet built anywhere in the world.

Just off the center of the bow of the massive hull of the ship a raised platform that held the dignitaries that were on hand to witness the launching of the Kreigsmarine. Everyone already had a feeling of what the name of the ship was going to be. The rumor of the name was Fuehrer.

Standing on the platform looking at the massive hull of the ship was Adolph Hitler. The Fuehrer did not get out too much any more. The rumor in the military was he was planning something very much like what had happened back in 1939 when the world had been taken to the brink of war.

Admiral Donitz stood next to his Fuehrer along with Vice Admiral Schniewind who had just recently been appointed to his rank. Donitz was a career navy man and had replaced Raeder who was the father of the 'Z-Plan' which currently dominated German naval building. That was the reason why they were launching this battleship.

Donitz wondered about the massive ship and thought that it was too big to be useful. The main armament was to be its eight massive twenty inch guns. The guns were to be mounted in four turrets with two guns per turret. The guns were also to be the largest of any navy in the world which is what Hitler wanted. Donitz however had heard rumors from Japan that the latest battleships were already mounting massive twenty-one inch monsters for their latest battleships.

There was also the problem of the British navy. They had recently launched a new class of battleships at the urging of the Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill. The new British battleships were armed with a smaller caliber main gun but it would be able to fire faster than the German ship. Donitz thought that it would have made more sense to arm the ship with sixteen inch guns but with triple turrets instead of twin turrets.

Then there was the United States Navy to worry about. The USA was still isolationist in attitude but that was the attitude that the country had adopted before the Great War in 1915. The US navy already had a massive battleship navy. The US had launched two North Carolina class ships along with four South Dakota class battleships each armed with nine sixteen inch guns. And the latest US battleship class approaching completion was the Iowa. They were almost nine hundred feet long and if reports could be trusted they had a top speed of thirty-three knots. Their next class was the Montana which increased the number of guns to twelve but had a greater protection than just about any other battleship afloat. This class scared Donitz more than any other.

Knowing that Germany could not compete as much with the building of battleships Donitz had managed to convince Hitler and the others to construct more submarines. If war came then he could use the surface fleet in conjunction with the submarines to bring Britain to her knees. It had almost worked in the last war. Donitz was surprise that Hitler had kept his work and that war had not started before 1945.

Hitler stood at the podium of the platform giving another one of his speeches to the crowd who was braving the cool weather to watch the launching of the ship. Donitz could see that the crowd was hanging on Hitler's every word but he had long since tuned out the Fuehrer. Donitz knew that trouble was brewing in the near future. He could only hope that the Kreigsmarine would not flounder like its ancestor, the High Seas Fleet, of the Great War.

Donitz didn't have a small navy at his disposal though. He had a current navy of six battleships, five battlecruisers, three armored cruisers, three carriers along with several cruisers and destroyers and submarines.

The sound of glass breaking brought Donitz attention back to the present. The champagne bottle had been broken on the bow of the ship. The massive hull slowly began its slow voyage down the launch way. There was a vast array of pulleys and chains to reduce the speed of the massive hull. The last ship launched, the Kaiser, had produced a large wave swamping nearby beach homes. This ship was almost two hundred feet longer and several thousand tons heavier.

Donitz watched as the ship slid into the water. It was a grand sight to see regardless of what he thought about the ship. He could have liked to have seen the ship's materials used for more submarines of two battleships or carriers instead. He was amazed at the wave that the ship produces and how small it was compared to the Kaisers. It meant that the techniques that they were using worked. It was interesting considering it had been learned from the Japanese.

With a loud 'hail Hitler' coming from the crowd the band began to play. Donitz could not help but feel a bit strange at this. The air around him had a feeling of a festival yet what they were celebrating was used for war and destruction. With that in mind he watched as Hitler made his way towards his usual crowd leaving Donitz and the navy personal alone.

As Donitz made his way away from the platform he noticed a familiar person heading towards him. Donitz recognized the man as Raeder the former Admiral of the Kreigsmarine. The man had retired after a meeting with Hitler one day. He had never spoken about it but Donitz thought he understood.

"Raeder, I see that you could not stay away could you," Donitz said to the man.

"I see he went though with the building the ship after all," Raeder said.

"Yeah, I think it would have been better if we had used the material for more submarines," Donitz said.

"That and perhaps another Kaiser Class battleship," Raeder said.

"Perhaps," Donitz replied. They might not get along but they both had the same thoughts about the ship. That and they both loved the navy.

Raeder was about to reply when another person came walking up to where they were standing.

"Ah, Captain Prein," Donitz said. "Raeder, meet of the best captains of the Kreigsmarine, Captain Prein."

"The name rings a bell, what ship do you command," Raeder asked.

"the Hindenburg for now sir," Prein replied.

"Ah yes, good ship. I hear that the Kaisers will be even better," Raeder said.

"Better armor that's for sure, but the names, I'm not that sure about them," Prein said referring to the names that Hitler had wanted for the two ships. They were named King and Queen as they were the royalty of the sea when it came to battleships.

"Still fine ships," Donitz said. He had to agree that the two battleships were probably the finest that Germany would produce.

"There is a rumor that I've been hearing," Raeder said turning serious all of a sudden. "War is coming Donitz," he whispered to Donitz. "Be ready for anything. I still have many friends in the government and they've been telling me things."

"Why are you telling me this," Donitz asked.

"We may not get along Donitz, but we share one thing in common. We both love the fleet, regardless if it’s made up of submarines or battleships," Raeder said.

"Or carriers," Prein said injecting the latest type of ship into the conversation.

"Point taken," Raeder replied. "Just be careful."

With his warning given and received Raeder walked away whistling to himself. What Raeder had told Donitz only confirmed what the man had been hearing. He could only hope that they were strong enough to take on the British navy.

January 28, 1945

Admiral Nimitz stood on the aft part of the carrier that was covered by the flight deck on the carrier Essex. The ship was less than a year old having just recently been commissioned. It was the current flagship of the carrier division of the navy. Looking out he could see the rain coming down and even a faint rumble of thunder could be heard.

"Chester," a voice said off to his right. Nimitz glanced over to see Vice Admiral William Halsey walking towards him. He had just recently taken over command of the carrier division. "What's up?"

"I got another communiqué from headquarters today," Nimitz replied to the man as he leaned against the rail next to Nimitz.

"Let me guess, another war warning," Halsey said watching as Nimitz nodded his head in agreement.

"Yep, it says for me to be wary. Japanese communications traffic had increased and that possible attacks could occur," Nimitz replied.

"No clue as to when or where," Halsey asked.

"Not one damn clue Bill," Nimitz said in disgust. "Sometimes I wonder what they do over there in intelligence."

"Well they are understaffed," Halsey said stating an obvious fact about the intelligence department. They were months behind in intelligence deciphering because congress had cut their budget.

"I know Bill, and I've been pressuring Kingston to add more men to the intelligence staff but congress and the President don't seem to want to do anything about it," Nimitz said falling silent for a few minutes. "You ever get the feeling that you’re on a train headed off a cliff that you can't get off?"

"No, can't say I have," Halsey said.

"Neither do I. Ah hell, it fells like a war is coming and there isn't a blasted thing I can do about it," Nimitz said allowing some frustration to come though his voice. The two men stood there for several more minutes.

"She's a beautiful ship," Halsey finally said breaking the silence. Nimitz looked up wondering what ship Halsey was talking about. Halsey nodded in the direction of battleship row. The silhouettes of the ships could be made out in the rain. In front of battleship row was the long graceful silhouette of the Iowa class battleships.

"Yes they are, and with legs long enough to keep up with you flattops," Nimitz said bringing up the fact that the Iowas had a top speed of thirty-three knots which would not slow a carrier group down.

"That they will," Halsey said. "I've been hearing rumors about the latest Japanese and German battleships. Are they really that big?"

"If we can go on intelligence then the latest German ship just recently launched is over a thousand feet long," Nimitz told Halsey. "The Japanese ships are not quite a big but the latest report is they are approaching a thousand feet along with eighteen inch guns."

Halsey let out a low whistle at what he had just been told. The thought of such ships was impressive. The one thing that was on all of their minds was how long Germany and Japan could sustain such construction. Their economies were still recovering from the depression of the thirties. Larger ships would require more money to build and maintain.

"So what do you think is going to happen," Halsey said switching the conversation back to the topic of war.

"I really do think we're headed towards war and there isn't a damn thing we can do about it Bill," Nimitz said.

Halsey nodded his head at that comment. It was one thing that they could agree on and that they were working to make sure they would be ready for. The one question they had was when would war come. If one believed the intelligence reports it could be any day now, or it could be next year or the year after that.

"The Gettysburg had finally been laid down," Bill said mentioned the lead ship of the next class of carriers.

"About time," Nimitz said. "The politicians have been hounding us ever since we finalized the design two years ago."

They only authorized it if we laid down the Minnesota," Bill said.

Nimitz nodded his head at the though of the two monster ships that were being laid down. The Gettysburg was the next generation carrier after the Essex class carriers. The Gettysburg had an enclosed hanger and an armor scheme more along the lines of the British carriers but thicker than any British carrier. The designers had only achieved such an accomplishment by making the ship nine hundred and eighty feet long and displacing over fifty thousand tons. The Gettysburg would be the heaviest carrier yet built.

The Minnesota however was a different story. It would represent the next class of battleships after the Montana class. The design had several improvements. Instead of sixteen inch main guns the armament was increased to nine eighteen inch guns in three triple turrets. Armor was also improved over the Montanas. The ship would have a displacement of almost eighty thousand tons and be just short of a thousand feet long.

"Are we building ships that are too big now," Nimitz asked Halsey.

"I don't know. I guess only time will tell," Halsey said shaking his head. "Come on, chows on," he said as they walked inside the ship.

February 7, 1945

A small launch, or boat, made its way towards one of the large battleships that was moored in the harbor. There were several other ships anchored nearby and all were military ships. The small boat carried a special visitor to the battleship. It pulled up beside the large battleship where several men in their white uniforms were waiting. They helped the passenger aboard then bowed in respect to the man who had gotten out.

"Welcome aboard the Imperial Japanese battleship Owari Emperor Hirohito, the man said to his emperor. It was the Emperor's first visit to a Kii class battleship. Last year he had visited the Musashi, a Yamato class battleship. Now he was on board the latest and most powerful battleship in the Japanese navy. The Kiis had improved armor and twelve eighteen inch main guns compared to nine on the Yamatos.

Hirohito acknowledged the bow of respect then turned to walk up the ladder to the main deck of the battleship. Hirohito noted that the outward appearance of the ship was very similar to the Yamato except for an additional turret aft. The crew of the ship was all dress in crisp white uniforms and held their positions firmly as they bowed to their emperor.

"Emperor Hirohito," an older man said bowing before the emperor.

"Admiral Yamamoto," Hirohito replied to the man who was the commander of the Japanese navy.

The two men exchanged greetings then Yamamoto lead the emperor on a tour of the massive battleship. The Owari was about fifty feet longer than the Yamato class. The four massive turrets seemed to dominate the ship. The emperor looked around but really was not that interested in war machines. He was impressed with the way the crew handled themselves. He was sure that they were the best in the world.

Yamamoto lead the Emperor on the tour from the bridge down to the massive engines that propelled the battleship though the water at a maximum speed of twenty-eight knots. The tour ended in the galley of the massive ship. A feast had been prepared for the arrival of the Emperor who sat down at the seat of honor. A crewman raced to serve the emperor.

"I think you have been wise admiral," Hirohito said to Yamamoto who looked up wondering what the emperor was talking about.

"I am afraid that I am not sure what you are talking about Emperor," Yamamoto said.

"Staying at sea," the Emperor said glancing around at the loyal crewmen of the battleship. "Here you are the emperor, much like I am not."

"You mustn't say such things Emperor," Yamamoto said having figured out what the Emperor was talking about.

"Your subjects are loyal to you, and they respect the chain of command. I'm afraid that is no longer the case with the government," Hirohito told Yamamoto. "I'm a puppet for Tojo and his regime. They have allied themselves with other factions like them in Germany and Italy. The voice of the navy is the lone power that opposes this path."

"I know our enemy and being with the navy allows me some protection," Yamamoto replied thinking about it. "A true warrior would stand up to fight them no matter the cost."

"No, a true warrior knows when to fight and when not to. Do not be ashamed that the navy protects you admiral. I only wish more would speak out," the emperor replied.

"You could speak out, many would listen to you," Yamamoto said.

"And I would be killed for my efforts," the emperor replied not seeing Yamamoto's face. "Tojo had almost complete control of the government now. He had all but told me that I would be eliminated if I spoke out. Then he would elect a new emperor, one that would support them. That would only serve to harm Japan more. The best way is for me to survive and wait until we talk to our enemies."

"America," Yamamoto said. "The fools in the army do not understand them."

"And you have told them many times. I will need the help of the Navy to provide me with the leverage I need when the time comes to speak with them," Hirohito said.

"I will do all I can," Yamamoto said determined not to fail his emperor.

"I know that admiral," Hirohito said. "War is coming admiral, and coming soon."

Yamamoto did not comment on the fact that it was probably going to happen July fourth. That was when intelligence reported that the Americans would be most vulnerable to an attack. His own intelligence stated that the any talks between Japan and America were fast becoming unraveled.

"I have to agree with you Emperor," Yamamoto said.

Neither man spoke for a while they thought about what they knew. Hirohito knew that war was coming. If Admiral Yamamoto could be trusted then Japan did not stand much of a chance against the industrial might of America. Yamamoto was wondering if his navy would still be able to keep America's navy at bay fro two years still before sheer numbers overwhelmed them.

"Its a good ship admiral," the Emperor finally said as they finished their meal and headed back to the small boat that had brought the emperor over.

"Its crew is well trained as well. They will do all they can when the time comes," Yamamoto said.

"I have no doubt about that," Hirohito said. Yamamoto gave a bow then the Emperor made his way down the ladder to the waiting ship.

After watching the Emperor leave the ship Yamamoto turned and made his way to the conference room of the Owari. His staff would be there waiting for him. He paused at the hatch glancing out at the vast expanse of the sea before him. He could make out several carriers out in the distance. He could see the silhouette of the carriers Akagi, Zuikaku and Senkaku. The later ship was one of the newest ships in the navy. The carrier was only about a month old. The carrier Taiho was also about to join the navy. The ship was scheduled to finish her trials next month.

Yamamoto was going to use the carriers as a first strike weapon of the Japanese fleet against the American navy. He had worked hard to structure the navy into two groups. One group held the battleships the other held the carriers. The move had not done much to smooth the rivalry between the two groups but Yamamoto now had more control than he previously had.

With one last glance he turned and made his way down to the conference room. There was still a lot of planning to do.

February 21, 1945

A small slight framed Lieutenant made his way down the hallway. He paused at the door to push his glasses back up his nose from where they had slid before knocking on the door to the Lord of the Admiralty’s office. There was a gruff reply to entered and the lieutenant walked inside.

"Admiral Churchill," the man said as he entered the room and sat down across from the man. Churchill was one of those men that came along that seemed to be destined to be in the action. He had served his country before during the Great War. The man had recently returned to duty with the government. His duty was to make sure the navy was ready in case war ever came. The lieutenant was sure that Churchill was going to make an impact. He had already done a lot for the navy in the three years he was Lord of the Admiralty.

"Lieutenant, I was expecting you," Churchill said to the man.

"We have the latest intelligence pictures and I assumed that you wanted to se them," the lieutenant said pulling out several photos out of the folder. "This first one is of the German hull 'L'. It was launched just about a month ago."

Churchill looked at the picture closely. The picture was of a giant hull as it was being launched down the slipway. The estimates of the length that was written on the picture put the hull at around one thousand one hundred feet long. He was impressed at the size of the ship but he knew that one ship did not make a navy. It was the other ships that had been built along with it that could be the problem.

"This next picture is what is being called the "Kaiser" class battleships. Essentially they are a group of two modified Hindenburg class ships," the lieutenant said to Churchill.

Churchill looked at the new picture he had been handed. The ship in the picture appeared to be approaching completion. The appearance was similar to the Hindenburg, two funnels, four turrets but the biggest difference was in the secondary guns. There was no special secondary armament for air attacks and surface attacks. It appeared that the Germans had finally developed a duel purpose secondary gun. That meant that the savings in weight would go into more armor. The class was also unique in that the ships were shorter than the previous Hindenburg class by almost fifty feet.

"These two ships are the ones that concern me the most," Churchill said. "They are fast, a speed of thirty knots, eight sixteen inch main guns, and probably thicker armor these two ships will be more than a match for any of our new battleships."

"There is also this picture of William der Grosse," the lieutenant said indicating Germany's latest carrier. That would make three carriers that Germany had for their navy. The three with the additional five that were under construction would make sure that the German navy challenged the British navy.

Churchill studied the carrier in the picture. The estimates of the carrier put the ship at about nine hundred feet. The ship could carry about forty to fifty planes and was armed with twenty-two five inch guns in single mountings. It was the armament that seemed to take up a lot of the displacement. That and the ship were armored much like the British carriers. This is what allowed such a low compliment of planes from being carried on board the ship.

"We also have the latest pictures from the Japanese navy. The navy recently converged for an imperial review. Emperor Hirohito visited one of the ships as well," the lieutenant said to Churchill handing him the first picture.

Churchill had to admit that he was impressed by the pictures. The Japanese warships were impressive looking. The ship had four turrets each with three guns making a total of twelve main guns on board the ship. It looked like an elongated Yamato class battleship.

"This ship is of the Kii class battleship. It is the follow up of the Yamato class but we also believe that she is armed with eighteen in guns instead of sixteen," the lieutenant replied.

"And what about the Yamato class, is there any confirmation about the size of their guns," Churchill said looking up at the lieutenant.

"No, we still believe that they are armed with sixteen inch guns," the lieutenant said handing another picture to Churchill. "This is a picture of the latest Japanese carrier that has been commissioned. There is no name for them yet but the ship appears to be a modified Zuikaku class. The bridge is a bit larger than on the Zuikakus. Intelligence also believes that the ships can carry about the same number of planes, around eighty or ninety."

Churchill studied the picture that he had been handed and noticed that the bridge was shaped a bit differently. Aside from the bridge there was little difference that he could tell.

"The rest of the reports are about the Italian and Spanish fleet. We have confirmed reports that the Alfonxo XIII has been fully introduced into the Spanish navy," the lieutenant said.

"What about the Americans," Churchill said. He did not believe that the Americans would become an enemy but he still had to know what was going on.

"They are building up their fleet in what appears to be a response to the Japanese ships. We have received recent reports that the last Essex class carrier has been completed and the Iowa class battleships should be finished soon. We also have reports that the next generation carrier has been laid down. The unofficial name is Gettysburg class carriers, along with a new battleship that appears to be a follow-up of the Montana class," the lieutenant answered.

"Its getting worse," Churchill said as all the reports of ship building reminded him of what had happened before the Great War. The biggest problem was he felt that there was little that he could do to stop any of it. He had already done all that he could do. He had been able to persuade Parliament to build another class of battleships armed with sixteen inch main guns. The only problem was even now he wondered if that would be enough.

The lieutenant was not sure how to reply. The man sitting in front of him had already done more in his lifetime than the lieutenant thought a man was capable of in one lifetime. The lieutenant had to admit that Churchill had the bulldog determination to push a new class of battleships though Parliament when no one else even tried. The latest class of battleships had sixteen inch main guns. This was a major improvement over the King George V class. However the Vanguard was to be armed with fifteen inch main guns. Churchill had protested that move very strongly.

The lieutenant could understand why. Intelligence had learned that the Scharnhorst class battlecruisers had recently been upgraded from nine eleven inch guns to six fifteen inch main guns. The change meant that they were now as powerful as the Renown and Repulse battlescruisers. The one problem was the Scharnhorsts had better protection. The lieutenant knew that the British navy still outnumbered the German ships but he was not sure how many more shps they would need to maintain their lead.

New cruisers had also been a hassle to get built. The other navies of the world were building cruisers with eight inch main guns. The British navy on the other hand was still building them with six inch main guns. It was only recently when several cruisers with eight in main guns had been scrapped that Parliament took notice of the vacancy of the heavy cruiser.

The lieutenant had the feeling that the German navy would seriously contend against the British navy. However a combined effort of the German and Japanese navy would be more than the British navy would be able to handle. The one think that comforted everyone in the British intelligence was the fact that the Japanese navy seemed to be gearing up to fight the American navy.

Right now no one was really concerned with the Italian navy. That navy was countered by the French navy. The two navies were roughly equal in strength and numbers. With a small British navy presence at Malta it would probably tilt the battle in favor of them.

The Russian navy on paper appeared to be a powerful force and quite modern until you realized that the fleet was divided into three groups. The small numbers made the navy all but ineffective. The other thing was Russia had a treaty with Germany at the moment. That meant that at least in the beginning the Russian fleet would be neutral, and at the worst scenario the Russians join a war on Germany's side.

"What about follow up ships to this one," Churchill asked handing the picture of the German battleship back to the lieutenant.

"We don't have any information of German battleships after this one. There has only been rumors of a ship that displaces over a hundred and twenty thousand tons and armed with twenty-one inch main guns.

"Its unlikely that such a ship would be built. It would require too many materials to construct and the German harbors are not able to handle anything that big," Churchill said out loud more to himself than anyone else.

"We have however seen and increase in construction of submarines. It appears as if Donitz had persuaded Hitler with his ideas. They are also ignoring any treaties that they have with the United Kingdom," the lieutenant said.

"Yet our politicians are content to build us a navy under a treaty which no one is paying attention to nor interested in enforcing. They are building a second rate navy for a first rate country, ridiculous," Churchill spat out. "I only wish I knew who they thought they were fooling. Is there anything else?"

"No sir," the lieutenant replied.

"All right, send this report to Admiral Cunningham, these to Admiral Phillips and these to headquarters," Churchill said indicating which reports were to go where. He wanted to be sure that the commanders in the Mediterranean and Pacific would know what they were up against. It might not help them out too much but it might help them choose their battles wisely if war came.

May 2, 1945 Japanese carrier Zuikaku

"Captain Fuchida," the CO of the Zuikakau said to the captain of the ship. Fuchida turned to the XO before the man continued. "I've got the reports of the training missions that the pilots completed yesterday."

The XO handing the reports over to Fuchida who glanced over them. He noted with pride that the newer pilots were advancing faster than he had expected. Several of the newer pilots would be heading to the carriers Taiho and Senho. The pilots would be good but no where near the pilots on board the Akagi and Kaga. They were considered the best in the fleet.

"Admiral Nagumo would like a report on how the training is coming along and what they need to improve," the XO said.

More training is the only thing that would help them out," Fuchida said as Genda appeared in the doorway. "What is it my friend," Fuchida asked seeing a look on Genda's face.

"There is a possibility that the Americans know about our attack," Genda said.

"What, how," Fuchida asked hoping that what Genda said was not true. They had worked hard over the years to make sure that the plans remained a secret. Surprise was required to minimize damage to their carriers and maximize damage to the American fleet.

"It seems that the army cannot keep their mouth shut anymore," Genda said. "Rear Admiral Tanaka was at a royal party for the ambassadors. He overheard one of Tojo's aides talking about how easy it would be to attack the Americans. Tanaka noticed that one of Ambassador Hull's aides was nearby and probably heard the comment."

"Then we can only hope that the Americans are as stupid as they seem and not as Admiral Yamamoto thinks they are," Fuchida said. "This happens just as our sailing date is approaching next month," he said looking at the map. "On June twenty-seventh the carriers are to meet up here," he said pointing to a position on the map.

"I hope that the other ships are in position when we leave," Genda said. The plan included all ten Japanese carriers. The only thing that would help them was the fact that several times a year the Japanese Navy conducted training which all carriers would be involved in. With any luck the Americans would believe that the carriers were involved in a training exercise.

"If the plan works then it will be a decisive blow to the American fleet that is for sure," Fuchida said.

"The plans have been sent to Admiral Yamamoto for finalization," Genda said knowing that they had done all they could. This plan was something they had been working on since late 1940.

Both men knew that the plan almost was carried though back in December 1941. The attack had been cancelled at the last minute when the Americans gave in a little during negotiations. The only problem was negotiations had been going badly ever since. Neither side wanted to give in anymore. Fuchida and Genda were both to have been part of the pilots who were in the attack the first time. The message "West Wind Rain" came though signaling that negotiations were making a breakthrough.

"Does Yamamoto still believe that war with America will lead to destruction for Japan," Fuchida asked his friend. Genda had seen Yamamoto recently.

"Yes, now more than ever. He believes that now that their depression is over they will be able to mass produce easily," Genda said. "I just hope that we catch some of their carriers in Pearl Harbor during the attack."

"I would hope for a few of the Essex class carriers," Fuchida replied. The Essex class carriers were the American's newest carriers and more than a match for any Japanese carrier. The battleships did not concern the two men as much and if it had not been for several admirals the attack would not concentrate on the battleships at all. Nagumo supported this thinking about the battleships making Fuchida hope that the man would not be put in command of the carrier fleet.

"Sir, there is one other thing that I wanted to tell you," the XO said. "Vice Admiral Hatakuse will be visiting the Zuikaku."

Fuchida and Genda looked at each other at the same time. His visit might be what they needed. The vice-admiral might know a bit more about what had happened. Then there was the emperor's visit to the Owari in which Yamamoto had gone straight to a meeting with the top officials.

"We just might get out wish and find out what is going on," Genda said as they turned and left the bridge.

June 18, 1945

A young colonel in a crisp uniform walked into a neat organized office heading straight towards the man sitting behind the desk, Admiral Donitz. The colonel handed Donitz the paper and waited. Donitz studied the paper a bit before handing it back to the colonel. The weather forecasts were favorable to them. It was time to begin their preparations.

Pushing a button he called for his secretary to get Captain Prein on the phone along. He also wanted to talk with Admiral Lutjens as well and had the aide sent to get him. The secretary worked quickly to get the captain on the phone for the admiral.

"Admiral Donitz," Captain Prein said as Donitz came on the phone.

"Captain, I need for you to begin preparations for Operation Lightning at once," Donitz told the man.

"Yes sir," Prein said after a moment of silence. "Is there anything else that I should be aware of," Prein asked wanting to make sure that he had all the information that he needed.

"Admiral Lutjens will be in command of the fleet for this operation. I assume that he still had not made up his mind as to which ship he will hoist his flag in," Donitz said.

"Then I will make sure that the Hindenburg is ready sir," Prein said.

Donitz had barely hung up the phone when a knock sounded on his door. Admiral Lutjens walked into the office. Donitz showed Lutjens the paper and waited for a second.

"Weather's good for the operation," Lutjens replied dryly.

"Yep, Berlin says to go ahead with the operation," Donitz said his face not belaying any emotion.

"I guess I should head to the fleet and find myself a flagship," Lutjens said.

"Yes, I've assigned Rear-Admiral Schniewind to command fleet two. I know that he is still new but I have a good feeling about him," Donitz replied.

"I believe he will," Lutjens said. "And what are the standing orders from the Fuehrer about engaging enemy warships for this operation?"

"They have not changed. You mission is to divert attention away from the raiders and submarines that are to slip out into the Atlantic Ocean," Donitz replied knowing how Lutjens would react to the news. "We are still not powerful enough to challenge the British navy on the open sea."

"So the Fuehrer ties my hands even if the odds are in my favor," Lutjens said. "The fools will ruin the entire war for us."

"Just do your duty, that's all I ask," Donitz said.

With that Lutjens left the room thinking about the upcoming mission. There was a lot that could go wrong, but there was also a lot that could go right.

June 25, 1945

Two large carriers that made up Carrier Division Four of the Japanese Carrier Fleet with their four destroyer escorts slowly made their way out of the harbor. There was no fanfare for the leaving ships as the group slowly began to pick up speed. The official report was the carriers were to perform mock battles against Carrier Division One. The battle was to determine how well trained the pilots of the carriers Sorkaku and Rhykaku compared against the best carrier pilots in the fleet, the pilots of the Akagi and Kaga.

The Sorkaku and Rhykaku were fairly new ships to the Japanese fleet. The two carriers were designed to an improved Zuikaku class. The ships were originally supposed to be the forth and fifth ships of the Taiho class. Several pilots and admirals who supported the pilots argued strongly against the Taiho class. While the Taiho class had improved armor of the Zuikakus the Taihos carried almost twenty fewer aircraft. It was only after intelligence learned that the American Essex class could carry over ninety aircraft did the leaders give permission for the Sorkaku and Rhykaku.

Not far from shore the cruisers Mogami and Mikima were waiting to complete the screen for the two carriers. The screen would be typical of most Japanese carrier divisions when operating alone.

From the shoreline a pair of eyes watched with interest as the carriers left the harbor. He had watched almost all the capital ships of the Japanese navy leave or enters this port. All the ships that were leaving were expected to be leaving sometime soon but the total number of warships that had recently left was a bit different. Add in the recent increased tension between Japan and the United States and it did make the sorties a bit strange.

June 28, 1945

Admiral Chester Nimitz stood on the bridge of the battleship New Jersey. He had made the New Jersey his flagship for a number of reasons. The ship was fast enough to keep up with the carriers, and powerful enough to fight off just about any battleship in the world. He was currently waiting for a report from headquarters.

"Admiral, here you go," an aide said handing him the report.

Nimitz replied with a quick thanks before scanning the paper. He was not pleased with what he had just read. Intelligence reported that the Japanese had recently changed the codes of both the diplomatic and military codes that they had been using. That meant that any reports of the Japanese fleet conduction operations close to the Philippines and elsewhere could no longer be monitored. The radio operator could still identify where several ships were according to their recent reports including the battleships and carriers.

The Japanese battleships had concentrated a large majority in Saigon. The group of battleships there included the Yamato class of five ships. The older Japanese battleships, the Fuso, Yamashiro, Hyuga, Ise, Nagato and Mutsu, all world war one designed ships, were in Japanese costal waters.

Nimitz thought that the biggest concern was the fact that four Japanese carriers had not been heard from lately. The carriers Kaga, Akagi, Sorkaku and Rhykaku were reportedly taking place in a simulated war game. It was not the first time that carriers engaged in such activities did not report in. The one problem Nimitz had with this was that usually most of the Japanese navy was in port at the time, this time a vast majority of the navy was at sea.

"Do we have any information about the Atlantic," Nimitz asked the aide who was still standing there.

"Intelligence does not know for sure but the German fleet appears to be readying their ships for a sortie as well. Vice-Admiral Lutjens just recently raised his flag on the Hindenburg and Rear Admiral Schniewind arrived on the battleship Hansa," the aide said. "There is other information on why the two admirals are there other than an inspection."

"What about troop movements," Nimitz asked. He had the feeling that for Germany and Italy that any movement of troops would be a better indicator of war than anything else.

"Nothing out of the ordinary. There does seem to be a bit of increased activity around Saigon by the Japanese but nothing else," the aide reported.

"Very well, have this sent to the other commanders as well to keep them informed," Nimitz said.

"There is one last thing," the aide said. "The last couple of reports mention something called 'AN'. We have not been able to figure out what it is or what ships are involved in it."

"AN? Any indication as to when it is," Nimitz asked.

"No sir, but we do know that they are watching Pearl Harbor," the aide said.

"That's not much to go on," Nimitz said feeling like what the aide said was a grasping at air. "The problem with that is we have spies watching everyone one of their ports for shipping movement like they have spies watching ours. We get reports like this from Midway, the Philippines, San Diego and Los Angeles. Send a message to all of our submarines that they are to report any Japanese naval activity that they run across. I don't care if it’s just a destroyer I want to know about it."

"Yes sir," the aide said then left to carry out his orders.

End preview

Return to the Original Stories Page.