<h1 class= "pgc-h-center-line" > Harbor Phantom</h1>
On the morning of March 27, 1941, Niyoda Maru, a luxury passenger ship affiliated with Nippon Mail Shipping Co., Ltd., slowly approached the Honolulu pier.
The 20,000-ton Nitta Maru is a regular liner that runs between Yokohama and Honolulu in Japan. As usual, as soon as the ship docked, there was a noisy sound on the dock. Among the people on the shore were two staff members of the Japanese Consulate in Hawaii, one of whom held aloft a small sign that read, "Clerk Morimura Masashi from Tokyo."
Soon, a tall, handsome young man got out of the boat and got into the consulate's car with the two of them. Not far away, there were two men alertly watching all this. One of the people who looked like the leader said to another: "Remember, this is the new clerk of the Japanese consulate, Morimura Masa, 29 years old, to find out all the details of this person as soon as possible." "The two people who spoke were FBI agents, and a detailed investigation into everyone new to the consulate was a must-do.
Among the questions raised by the Military Command about the plan to attack Pearl Harbor, the ability to obtain timely information on the U.S. fleet in Pearl Harbor is a key issue. This problem was eventually resolved more satisfactorily. The attack on Pearl Harbor was a great victory for the Japanese army, and a previously unknown little man was also indispensable, he was the young man who had just stepped off the ship.
After assigning the task of formulating a plan for the Pearl Harbor operations to Jiro Onishi, Yamamoto immediately asked Ogawa to gather detailed information about the Pearl Harbor base as soon as possible.
Ogawa had arranged for a spy group to operate around the Hawaiian Islands, led by a downcast German named Otto Kuhn, a monk, and two Americans of Japanese descent. Kuhn's public identity is that of a historian who is writing a book about Hawaii. Kuhn's eldest son, who turned out to be the secretary of Goebbels, the most "outstanding" propagandist of the 20th century, offended Goebbels and was ordered to leave Germany and come to Honolulu in 1935. Kuhn, who came to Hawaii, lost his money due to the failure of speculative real estate sales and was forced to work as a spy to make ends meet. Kuhn was also a spy for the Germans, while taking the mark from the Germans and the dollar from the Japanese. Compared to Sorge and Yoshikawa, who is about to appear, Kuhn is undoubtedly very lame. Apart from boasting in front of the Japanese that he had a wide range of contacts, he didn't actually do much meaningful. Timid and afraid to die, his sources of intelligence were basically newspapers, radios, and American officers who were hanging out with his daughter. This superficial intelligence simply cannot meet the needs of actual combat. Moreover, as war draws nearer, it has become increasingly difficult to obtain information from public channels such as radio or newspapers.
Ogawa pondered for a long time and decided to send another naval intelligence expert to Hawaii. Ogawa, who was well prepared for this task, was a slender young man.
The young man's name was Yoshikawa. Although he is already 29 years old, Yoshikawa looks a little younger than his actual age. Like almost all Japanese naval officers, Yoshikawa graduated from the Edajima Naval Academy in 1933 and was a champion swimmer at the school, ranking fourth in kendo, laying a solid foundation for his future career at Pearl Harbor. After graduating, Yoshikawa served on several ships, and later went on to study at the Mine School, the Artillery School, and the Aviation School. Yoshikawa's biggest drawback is that he loves to drink, and finally because of excessive drinking, even his stomach is burned out, and he has to temporarily retire from the army. Because of his previous experience, he was later recruited into the Intelligence Department of the Military Command as a reserve officer. I started taking classes in the UK and later transferred to the US. Yoshikawa's main job was to sift through the mountains of information, and his long-term involvement in this tedious work enabled him to develop a hard skill, that is, to be familiar with the various types of ships and equipment of the two major naval powers of the United States and Britain. At the Military Command, Yoshikawa had a frightening nickname called the U.S. Naval Encyclopedia.
As early as May 1940, Fumijiro Yamaguchi, the chief of the Intelligence Division, asked Yoshikawa if he would accept a very difficult task and go deep into Tiger's Den Pearl Harbor to collect intelligence on the U.S. military. In this regard, Yoshikawa, who likes to accept the challenge, agrees with a full mouth. In order to make the play a little more realistic, Fumijiro Yamaguchi told Yoshikawa, "You are going to go as a foreign minister." In order not to arouse the suspicion of the enemy and the general personnel of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, you have been contacted to take the examination for the secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Until then, you'll step up your studies, improve your English, and be ready to head to Pearl Harbor. Also, you can't be bald anymore, and your hair has to be curtailed right away. ”
Yoshikawa had never been a spy in the past, and the index finger of his left hand was broken. As a spy, this is a fatal flaw because it is easily recognized by opponents. However, this "shortcoming" of Yoshikawa later became a favorable factor for him to hide the sky and cross the sea.
Gladly, Yoshikawa stripped off his military uniform, began to grow his hair, and went to the University of Tokyo to study international law and English. In the subsequent open recruitment of secretaries of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yoshikawa took the examination as an ordinary college student. Despite his poor grades in examinations on diplomatic knowledge, he was unexpectedly admitted. Since then, Navy Reserve Lieutenant Yoshikawa Yoshikawa has become the secretary of the Morimura Masa. The name was given by an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs because it is difficult to pronounce and difficult to remember for foreigners, and it is quite hidden.
In early 1941, Yoshikawa received an order to go to the Honolulu Consulate to perform his duties and began to make preparations. On March 20, the newly appointed Morimura Shogun of the Honolulu Consulate General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs boarded the "Nitta Maru" from Yokohama to Hawaii. A week later, Yoshikawa arrived in Honolulu. Here, he will fight with The Agents of the United States and compete in a duel. That's where the opening scene begins.
The new young man at the consulate was not a big deal, and everything seemed to be as uneventful as ever. Only Kita Nagao knew where Yoshikawa really came from. Kita, who had also recently been transferred from Qingdao, China, was a big fan of toshio Shiratori, the former Japanese ambassador to Italy, and naturally approved of Japan's war against the West. That night, Kita secretly receives Yoshikawa. He told Yoshikawa to work with confidence, and he would give all possible help. Yoshikawa, a newcomer to Pearl Harbor, immediately had his own separate office.
When he first arrived in Hawaii, Yoshikawa immediately concentrated on gathering intelligence on the U.S. warships moored in the harbor. He travels on a yacht through the small islands of the Hawaiian Islands as a tourist. The model of the sand table that used to be carefully studied almost every day in the military headquarters is now vividly displayed in front of the eyes. After some investigation, Yoshikawa found that only Oahu Island, where Honolulu is located, had a naval fleet stationed there, so he set his sights on it.
Because of the magnitude of the matter, Yoshikawa shined no one but Kita. He decided to do everything himself. In order to be able to collect first-hand information, Yoshikawa can be described as painstaking. One day, Yoshikawa dressed up as a Filipino laborer and mingled in the construction team at Pearl Harbor. Yoshikawa, wearing an olive-green collarless shirt and carrying a lunch box, looks no different from the others, but during the break between work, he looks at the east and west from time to time, walking on the road and seemingly inadvertently knocking on the oil storage tank. In Yoshikawa's view, the day's heavy labor was somewhat unworthy. Except for the accidental discovery that the tank was filled with marine diesel, nothing was found, not even the dock area was mixed in. He also worked in the American Army Club, but apart from learning to wash dishes in the American way and the Hawaiian-style sweeping habits, he didn't get anything of value.
Yoshikawa often put on worn-out clothes and pretended to be a tramp to rummage through the garbage bins outside Pearl Harbor, trying to judge the number of ships moored in the harbor from the amount of garbage, so as to calculate the departure law of the ships of the Pacific Fleet, and also to judge the route and starting point of these ships from the words on the garbage. The Americans are very strict in environmental management and are not allowed to dump garbage into Hong Kong, which provides convenience for Yoshikawa's intelligence analysis. But he soon discovered that this alone would not yield any truly valuable information.
Several similar blind actions were almost to no avail, much to Yoshikawa's chagrin. If this continues, we will not only live up to the high expectations of the military command, but we may even put ourselves in it one day. It seems that it is not enough to have diligent efforts, but also to have scientific means and methods. In desperation, Yoshikawa had to seek Kita's help. After asking about the situation, the well-informed Kita gave Yoshikawa a good idea.
"Well, I'll take you to a place where there's a Japanese-owned restaurant on the slope of Aleva Hill behind Pearl Harbor called Spring Tide House. The terrain is so good that it offers panoramic views of Pearl Harbor, where the entry and exit of ships can be clearly monitored on a daily basis. ”
The next day, Harushio's landlady Fujiwara Hakuko receives Kita and the handsome young Yoshikawa. When she learns that Yoshikawa is a fellow of Ehime Prefecture, the "two tears in her eyes" Fujiwara Haoko becomes more enthusiastic about Yoshikawa.
"Ah, are you Mr. Masaru Morimura, Kita's colleague and friend?" Great, girls come and see you. "A few geisha came out from behind, and at a glance, they knew that it was an American Japanese woman, wearing a kimono, but with high-heeled leather shoes on her feet, and her makeup was very colorful." Quick, take Mr. Masashi Morimura upstairs. Arrange the best room, yes, just go to the one facing the sea. Yoshikawa was taken upstairs by a geisha. From the window, the entire pearl harbor can be seen in and out of the mighty battleships, aircraft carriers, heavy cruisers, and other warships. Excited, Yoshikawa immediately decided to stay here. ------------------------------------------------------ The Military Command's funding for Yoshikawa was $100 a month, and he himself had a salary of $150 a month. This was definitely a huge sum of money at the time, enough for Yoshikawa to squander.
Every day, in addition to messing with the geisha, Yoshikawa leaned more alone in the window to carefully observe, recording the type, number and activity of the US warships in the port, of course, using symbols that only he could understand. Over time, he gradually grasped the laws of the activities of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. This information was obtained by him through first-hand observation and was completely reliable. Every once in a while, Yoshikawa would report the intelligence to Kita, who would send it back to Tokyo using a password. This information also became the basis for Yamamoto's plan to attack Pearl Harbor.
Yoshikawa wasted no time in playing the role of a "prodigal prince", maintaining close relations with several geisha and not sparing money at all. He has a theory of defending himself: "Anyone who is devoted to the pursuit of Venus will be less suspected of being a spy in the eyes of others." ”
The facts also confirmed his ideas, and these acts of debauchery really covered him. Yoshikawa's calls were, of course, eavesdropped by American agents. Once, a geisha called the consulate to find Yoshikawa, and from the faint fluctuations in the volume of the phone, the sensitive Yoshikawa immediately realized that someone was eavesdropping. The cunning Yoshikawa deliberately grabbed the phone and talked endlessly with the geisha, and the obscene words were endless, and the US intelligence personnel could listen to the yellow audio live for free. Finally, the old man angrily pulled off the eavesdropping plug and scolded, "Obscene billet! From the first day Yoshikawa arrived in Honolulu, U.S. federal agents began tracking him. Soon Yoshikawa discovers that he has been "tailed" by a small black car equipped with an antenna. The FBI, of course, is not a vegetarian either, and they have asked U.S. intelligence agencies in Tokyo to cooperate with the investigation. U.S. military intelligence officers in Tokyo investigated Morimura's experience in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and concluded that Yoshikawa was a law student at the University of Tokyo and had indeed entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the normal recruitment process of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. - The careful planning of the Japanese naval intelligence services in advance became the protective umbrella for the Americans to lift their guard against Yoshikawa. Coupled with the fact that U.S. military intelligence personnel knew that Yoshikawa lacked a finger, they mistakenly believed that the Japanese intelligence agencies could not choose such a person with obvious physical characteristics as spies. They judged Yoshikawa to be just a wandering little man, and since then they have relaxed their vigilance against him. As a shrewd businessman, Harushio's owner, Naoko Fujiwara, vaguely saw that Yoshikawa was not a simple playboy, as her girls often talked to her about some of Yoshikawa's quirks. For example, Yoshikawa likes to chat with people who have lived here for a long time by chatting or betting, and when taking a taxi, he often changes cars several times on the way to a location, and when he is sightseeing, he is not interested in those beautiful scenery, but pays special attention to observing seemingly boring things such as terrain and landforms. A geisha named Ozawa told Fujiwara that once she accompanied Yoshikawa to a very boring place on Oahu for a long time, until she urged her many times, Yoshikawa reluctantly agreed to go back to the hotel together, and when she left, she turned back three times. Fujiwara also discovered that Yoshikawa often sneaked out of the hotel early in the morning wearing the clothes of fishermen and farmers. Judging from these details, Fujiwara judged that Yoshikawa must have a special mission, because there is nothing on Oahu that can be particularly nostalgic except for the military base. Fujiwara didn't want to delve into the matter, she was just a businessman who only cared that Yoshikawa was rich and never owed anything.
Hawaii in early summer is already very hot, and people are rushing to the beach to cool off. Like a normal person, Yoshikawa wore a bright shirt printed with the english word "Welcome" and carried a geisha with affection, and like a normal tourist, he boarded the Honolulu Aerial Scenic Plane and took a ride back and forth over Oahu. On these occasions, the geisha became Yoshikawa's best umbrella. In the eyes of ordinary people, they are just an ordinary couple. Planes circled the sky, with sweeping views of pearl harbor and several mainland airports on Oahu. Yoshikawa's eyes searched every little corner, memorizing the data needed, such as the direction and length of the airport runway, and the number of stops. These were deeply imprinted in his mind. On his travels, he usually carried a geisha or a waiter inside the consulate, as he was vulnerable to all kinds of cross-examination by the guards.
Yoshikawa's main target is Oahu. In addition to getting in a car and going around Oahu twice a week, he hid upstairs at Spring Tide every day to observe the Pearl Harbor area. Once, he took a lunch box and mixed with the labor force, and walked around the port area for a day, and no one came to interrogate him. On another occasion, he took a taxi to Hickam Airport, not far from Pearl Harbor, a large airfield that was a bomber base for the Army Aviation Corps. At the airport gate, he told the sentry that he wanted to meet a friend of a U.S. military officer, and the sentry waved his hand and let him in. As his car slowly circled the base, Yoshikawa remembered the number of planes and the length of the two main runways. In the same way, he also watched an air show over Wheeler Airport, a fighter base in the heart of Oahu. Along with other spectators, he sat on the lawn to watch a stunt show by the pilot of the P-40 fighter jet. He didn't take notes, and he certainly couldn't take pictures, but he remembered the approximate number of planes, hangars, barracks, and soldiers. Yoshikawa never took pictures because it was extremely unsafe, and everything depended on his "naked-eye camera".
On May 12, Yoshikawa sent his first telegram to Japan reporting the specifics of U.S. warships in Pearl Harbor. Tokyo's instructions soon arrived: "For the sake of secrecy, reports on ships anchored in Pearl Harbor may be reported every ten days in the middle of May, June, and July, unless there are any special changes." Yoshikawa judged from this that the war could not be fought in the near future.
Meteorological conditions have a major impact on operations, and cases of meteorological problems leading to operational failures abound in history. At that time, neither Japan nor the United States, in order to keep military secrets, did not publicly publish the weather forecast and weather map of the day in the newspaper. To this end, Yoshikawa went to the University of Hawaii, libraries and other places to consult materials, trying to find meteorological information about the Hawaiian area, but did not achieve any satisfactory results. He only obtained some information about the amount of rainfall required for agriculture, especially the irrigation of sugar cane plantations, but unfortunately Yoshikawa had no intention of reclaiming the land here.
In September, while attending a hometown meeting, someone inadvertently mentioned that there was a Japanese amateur astronomer in Honolulu who had studied meteors for a long time. Yoshikawa immediately inquired about the address and hurried away. This amateur astronomer has been conducting research for more than 30 years, and Yoshikawa pretends to be interested in astronomy and chats with the old man,
Ask about astronomy and climate. The old man told Yoshikawa, "Hawaii hasn't experienced a single storm in more than 30 years, and Oahu's east-west mountain range is always cloudy to the north and sunny to the south." With this news, Yoshikawa was a treasure, which meant that the plane could suddenly kill from the north of the cloudy day, fly freely over Oahu without seasonal restrictions, and launch attacks without seasonal restrictions. That's good news! After the Japanese army brazenly invaded southern French Indochina, U.S.-Japan relations deteriorated sharply, and the Pacific Ocean was covered with clouds and war was on the verge of breaking out. From late October, Tokyo's electricity orders were sent to Honolulu like snowflakes. The contents of the telegram were almost entirely about the ship's location and anchorage, and the repetition of the inquiry was almost tireless. Tokyo's requirement was initially submitted once every 10 days, then became once a week, and has recently become a three-day submission. Yoshikawa knew that once it became once a day, it would not be far from the day when he returned to Japan.
On October 12, after weeks of negotiations between U.S. Secretary of State Hull and Nomura, they finally agreed that three Niyon mail ships would sail from Japan to the United States again, on the condition that they could not carry cargo.
On October 15, the first of the three mail ships, the Tatsuda Maru, set sail from the port of Yokohama. Captain Kimura Hanao was a reserve naval officer with almost all new crew members. Only the chief of affairs who looked like Mune seemed to be a bit introverted—his current name was Maeda Kuniaki, but his real identity was Minor Sasuke Nakajima of the U.S. Division of Intelligence of the Military Command.
Before the ship set sail, Yamaguchi Handed Nakajima a sealed envelope and asked him to keep it carefully and return to Honolulu to find an opportunity to hand it over to Kita. The letter asked Sethout to make every effort to gather intelligence on the United States Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, specifically instructing Kita to provide a detailed map accurately indicating the size, location, and troops of each military installation on Oahu and stating that the intelligence would be taken by intelligence officers who would subsequently arrive in Honolulu. On October 23, the "Ryuda Maru" slowly approached the Honolulu pier in the misty morning fog, and its public mission was to evacuate some of the Japanese expatriates in Hawaii. Only a very small number of people knew in their hearts that this was probably the last trip to Pearl Harbor before the war. As soon as the ship docked, a small white motorboat followed, and a group of American sailors immediately boarded the ship to check.
There were sentries on the bridge and the side of the cabin. Many people on board are not allowed to disembark. Kita was allowed to board the ship and took over with the chief of affairs, who claimed to be "Ryuda Maru". In one of the ship's restrooms, Nakajima's "chief minister" took out a small folded piece of paper and stuffed it into Kita and whispered, "I'm Nakajima Shosa from the military headquarters, please hand this over to Jun Yoshikawa." I will not leave the ship, otherwise it will easily cause unnecessary trouble. ”
Back at the consulate, Kita quickly called Yoshikawa to his office. "Do you know Nakajima Shosa?" Yoshikawa nodded, "We used to be our head of class, and we all took classes in the United States." "He's coming, he can't get off the boat, let me pass this on to you."
Yoshikawa took the small piece of paper, quickly returned to his office and locked the door. It was a secret letter from the military command, a small note densely packed with fly-headed letters, and it was 97 questions to Yoshikawa about the Pearl Harbor base and the Pacific Fleet. Based on the intelligence information painstakingly collected over the past seven months, Yoshikawa drove an all-night train and answered the questions he asked one by one. For example: Q: The total number of ships moored in the harbor, the number of ships of different types and the name of ships? A: Yoshikawa has a daily record of this, and he can answer accurately by turning through the record book. Q: Where are battleships, aircraft carriers and cruisers moored? A: See the map provided subsequently. The map not only shows the location of the warship, but also all the airfields and backup airports, and even the golf courses are clearly marked. Yoshikawa believed that once the enemy airfield was destroyed, the Americans might use the golf course as an emergency landing site. Not to mention, in the end, there was a B-17 bomber who was forced to choose to land on the golf course.
Q: Are there large planes patrolling at dawn and dusk? If so, how many? A: There are about 10 at dawn and dusk. Most of them were facing due west and northwest, and very few patrol aircraft were dispatched due north. Q: Are there any blocked balloons over Pearl Harbor?
A: The Americans think it's safe here, so they don't need that stuff. Q: What is the weather like in Hawaii?
A: Hawaii has been storm-free for 30 years. The north side of Oahu is often cloudy and can be entered from the north side for bombing. - Thanks to the amateur astronomer before.
Q: What is the day of the week when the most ships are moored? This is the most important concern of the military command. If a large number of Japanese aircraft are in the air, will the harbor be empty, will we not miss a big thing? The answer is obvious, Sunday. God allows people to take a day off after 6 days at work, not to mention the Most Enjoyable Americans?
There is only one question that Yoshikawa is not sure of: is there an anti-submarine net at the entrance of the harbor? The anti-submarine net was deep underwater, and Yoshikawa could not see it even if he paid attention. In order to better complete the mission, he decided to go to reconnaissance himself as soon as possible. The next afternoon, Yoshikawa put on a dazzling Hawaiian shirt and drove straight toward Pearl Harbor. Not far from his destination, he drove into a thick jungle, put on his Panama hat, took out a fishing rod and headed for the entrance to the harbor. He calculated in his heart that if he was caught by the sentries, he would say that he was an angler who had strayed into the forbidden area. Behind a reef near the sea, Yoshikawa reached out with a fishing rod. His eyes were not fixed on the surface of the sea, but turned his head and looked back. There was a guard post on the hillside behind, and armed American sentries were pacing back and forth. As the minutes and seconds passed, Yoshikawa couldn't wait any longer, so he took off his clothes and dived into the sea to swim hard to the entrance. He was once the swimming champion of the "Sea Soldier", and this special skill really came in handy at this time, and he only relied on this method to find out whether there was a submarine net at the entrance. Yoshikawa silently stroked his legs and swam about 40 meters into the channel. He touched it underwater with his feet and there was nothing. He plunged down with a fierce son, and because he was too excited, he could not hold his breath after only a few meters into the water. He stabbed 5 more fierce sons in a row, but still did not find the anti-submarine net. Later, Yoshikawa recalled that these few minutes were the most stressful moments in his spy career. Yoshikawa swam back to shore, when the sentry at the top of the hill spotted the uninvited guest, and after a few shouts, the gun rang out. Yoshikawa had no choice but to take advantage of the fact that the sentry had not arrived, picked up his clothes and pants and went into the dense forest, and then quickly drove away.
To the question of whether there is an anti-submarine network, Yoshikawa had to reply like this: it is likely that there is none, and the specifics are unknown.
On October 22, another Japanese passenger ship, The Sun Maru, set sail from Yokohama, still to Honolulu. Naturally, the ships will not all be ordinary passengers, among whom there are several cattle people with special missions. The first was a veteran submarine expert, Toshihide Maejima, who carried a medicine chest and disguised himself as a doctor on board. In order to be foolproof, Maejima also deliberately learned some simple medical knowledge before leaving. His assistant is Lieutenant Keiyu Matsuo, a special submarine officer who has no blackest, only darker, and Matsuo's identity is a trainee pilot. Needless to say, the two men mainly investigated how to use general and special submarines to encircle and attack U.S. ships.
Matsuo was one of the initiators of the "special submarine" attack, and this time he returned to Hawaii after a field visit and was not selected as a member of the death squad. Matsuo beat his chest and searched for death. But it didn't matter, in May 1942, he finally got what he wanted in the submarine attack on Sydney Harbor, Australia, and returned to the west with his life.
The third cattleman is even more famous, his name is Suzuki Hideyoshi, the rank is only a small naval minor, the military command to study the United States air power, especially the combat effectiveness of aircraft carriers. Suzuki Hideyoshi is a typical second-generation and third-generation official, his grandfather was the commander of the "heroic and abnormal" Eighth Division in the Russo-Japanese War, the commander of the 8th Division, Tachibana Yoshifumi, his father, Army General Takao Suzuki, served as the notorious president of the Yasukuni Shrine for 8 years, and his father-in-law was former prime minister and Admiral Keisuke Okada, who died in the "226 Incident". More × than these people, his uncle was Japanese Prime Minister Kantaro Suzuki, known as the "Immortal Ghost". After the war, Suzuki served as commander of the Japanese Self-Defense Fleet. Suzuki's status on the ship at this time was that of assistant to the chief of affairs. The "Sun Pill" did not take the previous scheduled route, but chose the North Pacific Ocean, which has a harsh climate and high winds and waves. None of the passengers on board knew that this route was the route that the Nanyun Mobile Force would take in a month's time. Along the way, Maejima and the others closely monitored the movements of all the ships on the North Pacific route, recording the meteorological changes in the seas they passed. The result was unexpected, no boats were spotted throughout the voyage, and the weather was good all the way, with enough clouds and fog to provide concealment. It wasn't until it reached the 360-kilometer-north of Oahu, the starting point for the planned Mid-South Cloud Fleet, that an American patrol plane lazily emerged from the clouds, and the mood of the three people suddenly turned cloudy.
At 8:30 a.m. on November 1, sun pills arrived in Hawaii, a day that happened to be Saturday. This time is naturally also carefully planned, just in time to observe the overall situation in the harbor on Sunday the next day, and the future attack time is also selected on Sunday.
The "Sun Pill" is to be moored here for 5 days. Maejima and Suzuki carefully observe the situation outside with binoculars in their cabins. In order not to attract the attention of The American Operatives, they stayed on the ship all the time. All memories rely on brain power as much as possible, so as not to have an accident during a possible surprise examination in the United States, and never to take pictures unless it is a last resort.
During the days when the ships were moored in port, the Japanese consulate would send people to the ship every day to deliver newspapers, which naturally contained small notes with information, and Kita asked Yoshikawa to make the notes as small as possible. Every time a newspaper is delivered, it is inspected by the American gendarmes, but the vigilance of these crappy gendarmes is low. The Japanese took the approach of crossing the sea without waiting for the Americans to check and take the initiative to open the newspaper, and the gendarmes would immediately nod their heads and let them go. Sometimes Suzuki would climb up the helm and use the telescope to check the information he had just obtained. Suzuki's mission was to determine the exact location of the targets and whether the Lahaina area was still a U.S. naval base. If there were U.S. ships moored at Lahaina, a large number of aircraft would have to be drawn from the fleet attacking Pearl Harbor to deal with them. Suzuki spent a lot of time observing and taking photos of the pearl harbor entrance and the adjacent Hickam airport.
On November 5, the "Sun Pill" successfully departed the port after undergoing strict inspection by customs. Since most of the expatriates and consulate staff had already been evacuated, only 447 expatriates had been evacuated from the ship. The U.S. side strictly controls the number of people sending off, so the previously bustling docks are much more deserted. With the departure of the Sun Maru, the connection between Hawaii and Japan was completely severed. From the day the Sun Pill entered the harbor, the United States secretly sent a guard ship to monitor it, but unfortunately they were unaware of what was happening under their eyes.
The happiest, of course, are toshihide Maejima and others who have returned with a full load. They know that at this moment of leaving, this place is still a beautiful paradise, and when they return, it will become a hell on earth full of corpses. In late November, Tokyo considered that consular personnel would be arrested and imprisoned after the war began. In order to maintain the source of intelligence, the military command planned to secretly leave a lurking spy in the Hawaiian area, and they thought of the crappy German Kuhn. Yoshikawa risked his life to send Kuhn $16,000. In fact, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Kuhn was soon discovered by the FBI for having too much money in the bank, arrested and sentenced to 20 years in prison, and then deported to Argentina.
On December 2, Kita told Yoshikawa that a telegram from Tokyo "will report daily from now on on the concentration of the U.S. fleet." From this urgent demand, Yoshikawa judged that war was imminent and that the combined fleet was undoubtedly aimed at the Pacific Fleet anchored in Pearl Harbor. At the beginning of the war, he dared to go out into the hinterland of the US army at once, and the target was the most powerful Pacific fleet of the US army, and Yoshikawa was secretly impressed by Yamamoto's boldness and boldness. As a result, he drove more often than ever, fished, and played with girls.
On Saturday, December 6, the ships that had gone to sea for training returned to port on time as usual. Looking at the excited expression on the faces of the American soldiers, Yoshikawa knew that tonight would be another night of revelry for them.
Yoshikawa looked closely behind the curtains of the Spring Tide Building for a while, only to see the large and small ships of the Pacific Fleet quietly moored on the sea. He suddenly noticed a big problem: two aircraft carriers and about 10 heavy cruisers of the Pacific Fleet were not in port. The Pacific Fleet originally had 3 carriers, and he knew that one of them might return to the U.S. mainland, and had not been seen for a long time — the SARATOGA had just finished its break in the Bremerton Dry Dockyard on the West Coast. Yoshikawa understood that if the Combined Fleet did attack here, it would undoubtedly be the biggest regret.
Yoshikawa drafted in his mind the telegram that needed to be sent, and then began to pack up his things and inspect the room, which he had to do every time before leaving the Harushio Building. Sure that nothing had been missed, he drove straight to the consulate, not yet knowing that this would be the last time he would leave the Spring Tide Building.
Hastily returning to the consulate, Yoshikawa immediately sent back to Tokyo the 264th urgent telegram. 1. 2 aircraft carriers and 10 heavy cruisers all left the port.
The following ships were moored at Pearl Harbor on the evening of December 6: 9 battleships (including the training ship Utah), 7 light cruisers, 17 destroyers, and many other ships. Third, the Fleet Air Force has no signs of aerial reconnaissance.
It was Yoshikawa's last telegram in more than 8 months to Hawaii, and this crucial telegram arrived in Tokyo 6 hours before the start of the war. Since arriving in Honolulu on March 27, the first telegram drafted by Yoshikawa was numbered No. 78 of the Consul General in Honolulu, and the last was numbered 264. During his 255 days in office, Yoshikawa drafted and dispatched 177 telegrams. This, of course, also includes some telegrams concerning the operations of the consulate itself, but more than 80 per cent of the telegrams are classified as military intelligence. This is Yoshikawa's "bloodstool"
In exchange for the crystallization, the mighty fleet was "baptized" by Japanese torpedoes and bombs at 8 o'clock the next morning.
At the same time that Yoshikawa sent the telegram, the Nanyun Mobile Force was only 650 kilometers away from Pearl Harbor.
There were less than 12 hours left before the attack on Pearl Harbor. After dealing with these matters, Yoshikawa was a little excited, and after a few glasses of whiskey, he was ready to take a shower and sleep beautifully to eliminate the fatigue of the past few days. Across the vast courtyard, Yoshikawa glanced at Kita's room and saw that his window was still faintly illuminated.
When Yoshikawa was awakened by a Japanese maid, Miss Yoshie, it was already 7:30 a.m. the next morning. As he was about to put sugar in his coffee, there was a deafening explosion outside, and several paintings on the wall were shaken to the ground. He looked up at the alarm clock, which was 7:55 a.m. local time on December 7.
Yoshikawa hurried to the courtyard, and the members of the consulate also ran to the lawn, and the violent explosions outside came one after another, coming from Pearl Harbor in the northwest direction, where smoke was billowing and a sea of fire. In the midst of everyone's consternation, a plane flew over the consulate, and Yoshikawa clearly saw the bright red "Rising Sun" logo painted on the wings of the plane.
Japanese planes! The war is on! He said to himself. It's ideal, so many warships are in port.
"Fight, fight, fight!" Tearful and tearful, Yoshikawa grabbed Kita's hand, so excited that he didn't know what to say, the two stared at the smoke over Pearl Harbor and clapped their hands in celebration with tears. His efforts in Honolulu for more than half a year have finally borne fruit, and Yoshikawa is very proud of it. Yoshikawa suddenly thought of something important, and he hurried back to the room and went to the bathroom with a bag of documents. This was the material he had accumulated for most of the year, and as soon as the war broke out, they had accomplished their mission and must now be destroyed immediately, otherwise it would become physical evidence of his espionage activities. He lit a fire, and green smoke filled the courtyard from the window. As Yoshikawa burned the materials, the U.S. gendarmerie had surrounded the consulate on all sides.
Seeing green smoke coming out, the American gendarmes quickly rushed into the courtyard and knocked the door open. Six armed men rushed in and began to put out fire to the codebook, but it was surely too late.
The rest of the consulate had been detained in a large office, but no one had paid attention to Yoshikawa. He hid in a corner of the courtyard and waited quietly for the bombardment outside to thin out, and finally calmed down completely. When he returned to his office, he found that the door was locked, so he walked up to an FBI officer and asked him to lock himself in.
"Who are you?" "Masaru Morimura, clerk." Then he was locked up as he wished.
Japan and the United States officially started a war, and the personnel stationed abroad on both sides were taken hostage by the other side, and Yoshikawa was naturally among them. Although the United States arrested more than 2,000 Japanese in the Hawaii area on the grounds of screening for dangerous elements, the identity of the real culprit, Yoshikawa, was not discovered. By the time he boarded the passenger ship and sailed away from Oahu, the waters of Pearl Harbor had returned to their former calm, and everything was once so familiar. He waved his hand softly, saying goodbye to all the good memories, including those geisha in the Spring Tide Building, which were deeply imprinted in his mind.
"Goodbye, Pearl Harbor!" Later, they were held in a camp in Arizona. Yoshikawa believes that the United States is a civilized country because he was not tortured during the censorship, and some people gave him cigarettes, which is unimaginable in Japan. Once tortured, he didn't know how far he could stand it. During his detention, American guards who knew Yoshikawa's love of drinking gave him two bottles of wine a week. Later, he was repatriated to Japan as a diplomat, and when he returned home, Yoshikawa received a box that he had sent back to hawaii for the Americans who had insignificant things. These include items such as record players and futons with shortwave radios, as well as fancy clothes that were once used in disguise that could not be worn in Japan. The box reads in English, "Sent to Tokyo, Morimura is receiving."
After returning home, Yoshikawa was known as the "Unsung Hero of The Hawaiian War" and was heavily rewarded by the Japanese army headquarters, and even his distant ally Germany awarded Yoshikawa a medal. Since then, he has been in the military headquarters, responsible for the fifth lesson of American intelligence, and occasionally doing some interrogation of prisoners. During an interrogation of a prisoner of an American submarine, Yoshikawa learned that the United States had a terrible gadget called radar. Due to his preferential treatment in the United States, Yoshikawa did not abuse prisoners. But his colleagues were not so civilized, and the abuse of prisoners around him was frequent.
After Japan's defeat in the war, all the members of the Fifth Lesson were collectively arrested as war criminals because they were engaged in intelligence work against the United States, and many were sentenced to prison for abusing prisoners. Yoshikawa had retired in 1944, and although his name appeared on the arrest list, he once again played the true color of a high-ranking spy, immediately hid his name, cut his hair as a monk, and hid in an ancient temple in Izu. Yoshikawa hid until september 4, 1951, when the San Francisco Peace Treaty was signed, and then reappeared.
Yoshikawa spent the rest of his life engaged in the oil trade. In his spare time, he wrote the book "Latent Pearl Harbor", which is said to be a bestseller in Japan.
< h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" > secretly assemble Single Crown Bay</h1>
On November 11, 1941, Yamamoto led Ugaki Andra, Kuroshima Kameto, and other key staff members to leave Tokyo by train for the Iwakuni Air Brigade in Yamaguchi Prefecture. There, they boarded the battleship Nagato, which had come to greet them. Previously, many naval ships have come here one after another. The small Iwakuni Aviation Brigade will be clustered with stars in an instant, and the clouds will be dense.
At 9 a.m. on 13 November, the Combined Fleet held its last operational meeting before the start of the war in the Iwakuni Air Group. After the meeting, there was a group photo that luckily preserved. Although it is not very clear, the faces of those important people can still be faintly seen. The order of the photos is as follows.
The first row was all commanders: the combined fleet Yamamoto Fifty-six in the center, the first fleet Takasu Shiro, the second fleet Kondo Nobutake, the Third Fleet Takahashi Isho, the fourth fleet Inoue Naimi, the fifth fleet Hososu Hirshiro, the sixth fleet Mitsumi Shimizu, the first air fleet Minamimoto Tadaichi, the eleventh air fleet Tsukahara 243.
The second platoon was full of chiefs of staff: Combined Fleet Ugaki, First Fleet Kobayashi Kengo, Second Fleet Shiraishi Bandu, Third Fleet Yano Kashizo, Fifth Fleet Nakazawa Yu, Sixth Fleet Mito shou, First Air Fleet Kusaka Rokunosuke, eleventh Air Fleet Ōnishi Takijiro.
Most of the men in the third row were the chief staff officers of each fleet, led by Kuroshima Kamehito, chief staff officer of the combined fleet, corresponding to Chitoshi Ishizuka, Kuranosuke Yanagisawa, Akira Yamaki, Iwa Kawai, Toshi Miyazaki, Tsui Matsumura, Ōishiho, and Chisei Takahashi. With the exception of Tsui Matsumura and Ōishi Hosa as Nakasa, the rest are All Ōsa.
It can be seen from the list that, with the exception of Jisaburo Ozawa's Southern Fleet (which was not part of the Combined Fleet), the commanders, chiefs of staff, and chief staff officers of the various fleets who were preparing to participate in the southern operations and the attack on Pearl Harbor were present.
As it was the last mobilization meeting before the war, the atmosphere of the meeting was slightly tense and tragic. Judging from the current situation, it is inevitable for Japan to go to war with the United States, Britain, and the Netherlands. At the end of the day's meeting, all present will be on their own, and some of them may not return.
Yamamoto spoke first, and he gave a lecture as supreme commander, indicating his determination to go to the battlefield in person. "Gentlemen, the hope for the future rests on you. Whether the trip was successful or not, the Empire of Japan and His Majesty the Emperor will keep you in mind. I earnestly hope that you will fight bravely, kill the enemy and make meritorious contributions, and return home triumphantly! May all the officers and men of the army live and die with me! ”
Yamamoto then abruptly announced an outrageous order: "If an agreement is reached in the Japan-U.S. talks currently underway in Washington, the order will be given to withdraw the troops that have already been dispatched by 1 a.m. on the day before the day of the war." All troops, upon receiving the order, must immediately turn around and return unconditionally. ”
Objections were immediately raised. The first to speak was the commander of the mobile unit, Nan yun Zhongyi, who was originally not willing to fight: "Will the fleet that has already departed still have to return?" This demand is not entirely reasonable, and it will plunge us into an unfavorable situation of being passively beaten, and it is bound to affect the morale of the vast number of officers and men. ”
Immediately, some people began to echo: "Commander, in fact, this is an unrealistic demand, can the arrows that are shot out be recovered?" ”
The next words seem a bit rude: "This is simply to let the living people hold back the pee that has been spilled!" Yamamoto immediately waved his hand and shouted, "The purpose of raising soldiers for a thousand days is not to fight, but to protect the security of the country and maintain peace." If any of you believe that you are unable to carry out such an order, please submit your resignation immediately at this moment. ”
In the more than two years since he was the commander of the combined fleet, no one had ever seen yamamoto's fire so big. The participants looked at each other and were silent. Of course, no one will really write a resignation letter.
Seeing that the mood of the crowd gradually subsided, Yamamoto immediately slowed down and said to everyone, "Very good! All of you are the elite of the Imperial Japanese Navy, and you all know that you have sworn to obey and be loyal to the orders of His Majesty the Emperor. Please prepare the fleets for battle according to the original plan. In addition, I specifically requested that all ships ready to participate in the attack on Pearl Harbor must unload anything unrelated to the operation. Due to the cold climate of the assembly area and the route traveled, the ailerons, rudders and elevators of all aircraft must be coated with antifreeze grease. ”
Beginning on 16 November, all ships involved in the attack on Pearl Harbor began to strictly implement radio silence under the code name "Kido Force", taking different routes and heading north in batches at irregular intervals.
At 7:00 a.m. on November 17, the Nagato slowly sailed out of Iwaguchiguchi without escort.
Arrived at Zober Bay at 13:40. At 15:00, Yamamoto boarded the flagship of the Nanyun Mobile Force, Akagi, to give final encouragement and farewell to the soldiers who were about to go out on the expedition. Yamamoto made his final remarks to the approximately 100 commanders of all ranks standing on the deck of the Akagi:
"If war is unavoidable, then this operation is to attack the main force of the US Pacific Fleet far away from Pearl Harbor at the beginning of the war, and the success or failure of the operation will determine the fate of the empire."
Although still so lean, Yamamoto also showed a tragic look. He was opposed to war with the United States and was an active advocate of the attack on Pearl Harbor. It was precisely because he fully understood the great power of the United States that he advocated that the Pacific Fleet must be attacked first. In the naval battle with the Russians at the beginning of the century, the fledgling lieutenant Mount himself was seriously wounded. Now the supreme commander of the Japanese Navy, he will lead the Combined Fleet in a battle against the United States in the vast Pacific Ocean. Yamamoto knew in his heart that even if the attack on Pearl Harbor could be successful, it would only temporarily gain the initiative in the Pacific War, prolonging the war longer, and in the end Japan would not be able to escape the fate of defeat. These loyal men in front of him, along with himself, will lose their lives in this war.
"This operation must be carried out at the expense of all difficulties and the surprise of the enemy, and the battle plan is based on this idea. But remember, the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, General Kimmel, was a brilliant man of vision, and he was very careful. Therefore, it can be inferred that he may have already taken meticulous precautionary measures for all the events that will happen, and all the soldiers must be fully prepared ideologically. If you think that this battle will be an uphill battle, don't take it lightly. The survival of the Empire is up to you! ”
Known as the "Golden Mask", Ugaki, although he did nothing for a long time, had a good habit of keeping a diary, and his diary "War Algae" became an important document for post-war research on the Pacific War. That night, Ugaki wrote in his diary: "Commander Yamamoto's speech was very earnest, it was really the words of the Lord, and it was touching to the heart. Although the faces of the soldiers showed a certain look of surprise, they generally seemed to be very calm, and everyone had made up their minds to be loyal to the country. Although it cannot be expected that this move will result in several sacrifices, may the blessings of the gods achieve their ends. ”
One by one, the soldiers on the expedition were bloody and their teeth were clenched. They clenched their fists, and the excitement caused the foreheads to jump and twitch, and the spasms of the muscles made the facial expression extremely frightening. Yamamoto suddenly walked up to the flight captain and silently shook hands with Fuchida. Neither of them said a word: Yamamoto stared at Fuchida with infinite expectation and absolute trust in his eyes, and Fuchida answered Yamamoto with a look of victory and death retribution.
Meanwhile, in a room at the Wujungang Water Exchange, officers and men of the special submarine attack team were concentrating on the last meeting before the attack. Yamamoto sent staff officer Shosa Arima to attend the meeting. Arima again conveyed Yamamoto's instructions to special attack team commander Sasaki Hankusatsu Daisa: "Special submarines do not have to force their way into Pearl Harbor. An attack can only be carried out if effective measures can be taken in the rescue of officers and soldiers to ensure that they can return smoothly. The officers and men of the special submarine wrote a letter of determination with tears in their eyes and entrusted Arima to forward it to Yamamoto.
Captain Iwasa Naoji: "Serve the country loyally." Lieutenant Yokoyama Masaharu: "Resolutely, even ghosts and gods avoid it." Lieutenant Furuno Shigeru: "Calm, brave, decisive." Navy Lieutenant Akira Hiroo: "Seven lives to serve the country." Second Lieutenant Sasuke and male: "Careful and bold." ”
In order to conceal their movements as much as possible, many of the ships participating in the Nanyun Mobile Force marched from their anchorages to the staging area of Shanguan Bay in batches on different dates. While only one of the battleships pulled anchor and set sail, the other ships of the combined fleet carried out radio pretense for cover. The assembly operation was extremely secretive, and only the captain of each ship knew the destination of the trip.
On the night of November 18, Nanyun's flagship, the Akagi, began to depart for the assembly area. Strict lighting controls have been imposed on the aircraft carriers. At night, the Akagi quietly sailed south from the Bungo Waterway. Near Shioyasaki in Fukushima Prefecture, all the carrier-based aircraft of the Akagi took off from the mothership for one last combat training. On November 21, Akagi slowly sailed into Single Crown Bay under the guidance of a destroyer.
The aircraft carriers Soryu and Wyvern of the Second Air Force left Zob Bay at 12:00 on 18 November, and the heavy cruisers RIEKEN and Tsukuma of the 8th Air Force left Zobo Bay at 14:00 respectively. At 9:15 a.m. on the 19th, all the crews of the Ships Soryu, Wyvern, Reagan, and Chikuma, who were marching to the surface of Ise Bay, lined up on the flight deck and paid homage to Ise Jingu Shrine and prayed for the longevity of Japan's military luck. When we sailed over the surface of Tokyo Bay in the evening, the autumn rain was pouring down, and everyone braved the rain to pay tribute to the imperial palace. The trip may never go back, and the crowd can only say a final farewell to Hirohito in this way.
On the evening of November 18, the fast battleship Hiei from Tateyama Bay and the fast battleship Kirishima, which departed from Sasebo Port on the 17th, also met outside Tokyo Bay and sailed toward Shanguan Bay. The Fifth Air Force aircraft carriers Shōzuru and Mizuzuru also set sail from Beppu at 00:00 a.m. on the 19th.
Among the 8 capital ships, the aircraft carrier "Kaga" of the First Air Force was missing. It had a special mission to carry the fleet's eagerly awaited modified shallow torpedo. Mitsubishi Ordnance Works worked overtime to produce overnight, and by November 10, only 28 torpedoes had been transformed. The Kaga, carrying 12 unloaded torpedo planes, had to rush from Saober Port to Sasebo and stop at the entrance of the factory to wait for the torpedoes being modified to board the ship. By 18 November, the remaining 12 torpedoes had not been completed. Seeing that it was impossible to catch up with the time for assembly, the "Kaga" could only pull the torpedoes, accessories, workers and technicians to be transformed together, and change while walking at sea. Finally, the day before departure, it was November 25
On the day, I got the last 12 shallow water torpedoes that I had modified.
With the arrival of the last large warship, the Kaga, about 30 surface ships led by Nanyun, with six aircraft carriers as the backbone, have been assembled in the desolate Single Crown Bay in the north.
40 torpedoes landed, but I didn't expect the bomb to go wrong again. The horizontal bomber fleet used 800
Kilogram armor-piercing shells were temporarily modified from battleship 406 mm shells. The bombs were produced in a hurry, but when the mobile units were about to concentrate, they found that the original bomb-dropping device of the horizontal bomber could not be loaded with such bombs. Still the old way, the workers were put on the ship and the bomb throwing device was modified on the way to the single crown bay by the mobile troops.
All the personal belongings and unnecessary equipment on the battleships were left behind, replaced by barrels of fuel. Usually when a fleet leaves Japan, the ship is usually equipped with clothes suitable for hot climates and special foods suitable for consumption in southern climates. In this accident, in addition to those items, officers and soldiers also brought special items needed to survive in the cold climate, such as cotton coats, antifreeze oil, special gun coats and other anti-cold equipment. Except for a very small number of people, most people do not know what to do with these things. Some sailors who thought they were clever speculated that the trip might go north to attack the Russians. But immediately some people asked, then there is no need to bring even summer clothing and equipment?
Just as the Nanyun mobile troops were gathering towards Shanguan Bay, at 4 p.m. on November 21, Fukuro personally boarded the Nagato, which was moored on Hiroshima Bay Pillar Island, and handed over the "Sea Order" issued on the same day to Yamamoto. The Fifth Order of the Sea hereby orders the Commander-in-Chief Yamamoto Fifty-six of the Combined Fleet:
1. The Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet shall order the necessary forces to advance in time to the sea surface on standby for the purpose of conducting operations.
2. The Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet, in preparation for combat, shall exercise force in self-defence in the event of a provocation by the united States, British or Dutch forces.
3. For specific matters, listen to the instructions of the Commander-in-Chief of the Military Command.
On November 21, 2111, Yamamoto, in accordance with the above instructions and the Sea Order No. 6 issued at the same time, issued the "Combined Fleet Combat Telegraph Order No. 5" by telegram at midnight on November 22, 22. According to this telegraph order, the South Cloud Mobile Force attacked from Single Crown Bay on November 26 and made an expedition to Hawaii. The telegram still bears that special condition: "Depending on the change of circumstances, or the success of the Negotiations between Japan and the United States, the combat troops must immediately concentrate on the return to their posts in accordance with the order." ”
Kunigami Island, one of the Kuril Islands, lies across the northern tip of the Japanese archipelago, a narrow north-south stretch, separated only by a strait from the nemuro on the east side of Hokkaido. Because most of the year is clouded with smoke, the Russians refer to the island as the "Smoke Archipelago" and the Japanese as the "Kuril Islands" to show that they are made up of countless small islands. On its northern side, across from the Kunio Waterway, Zega Island is the largest of the Kuril Islands. The island is long and narrow in shape, extending from northeast to southwest. There is only a small village, a small cement dock, a post office and a radio station. Single Crown Bay is located on the southern shore of the central part of Zega Island, where the harbor is deep, the waves are rough in summer, but the wind is calm in winter. There are two fishing ports in the bay, the one located on the outside is called Nianmeng Port, and the one on the inside is called Tianning Port.
Usually, fishing boats are concentrated and dispersed here only during the flood season, so outsiders hardly know the names of these two fishing ports. They are nothing more than the common desolate ports of northern Japan. Because of this, this has become the most ideal gathering place for the Nanyun Mobile Force.
The desolate Island of Zebu is not yet self-sufficient, and it needs to be transported from the root chamber by shuttle ship. Now that this place has become a staging ground for the Nanyun mobile troops, those shuttle ships must not come. In order to ensure the normal life of the islanders during this period, the Navy specially sent supply ships to bring food and other necessities to the islanders. For safety reasons, the coastal defense boat "Kunigami" from the Dasui Garrison has arrived in Shanguan Bay ahead of schedule, closed the town's radio station and post office, and withheld all letters and telegrams sent out of the island, while the fishermen who fished in Shanguan Bay were not allowed to go out to sea to fish or leave. - It's really good, you don't have to work to eat and drink.
According to the order, after the mobile force departs from here, all the detained fishing boats and supply ships, as well as the coastal defense boat "Kunigo", will remain here and perform the same tasks as before. These measures will not be lifted until the official start of the war on December 8.
Winter in the Kuril Islands comes early, and in November the snow begins to drift. During the long winter months, the entire island is covered with snow and ice, and the tranquility exudes a kind of peace. The islanders, who had become accustomed to a peaceful life, suddenly discovered an unusual event in the winter of this year, a huge fleet of ships marching into the desolate Single Crown Bay: one, two, three, and the number was still increasing. The youngest son of koji Oda, an islander, ran up the hill like a smoke and counted it out in 1510 years—there were as many as 30 large and small ships, including giant battleships and aircraft carriers that had only been heard of but had never been seen before.
"What happened?" "It must be a drill."
"Nonsense, our family has lived here for generations, and we have never seen any navy come here to exercise, it must be a war."
At 13:30 on November 23, the three submarines of the Second Submarine Force, acting as a vigilance, sailed into the harbor, and at this point, all the participating ships of the Mobile Force were assembled. This was the largest build-up of the Japanese Navy since the Battle of Tsushima.
Composition and commander of the mobile unit - commander-in-chief: Tadaichi Minamimoto. Chief of Staff: Ryunosuke Kusaka. Maritime Air Raid Force: Commander Nanyun Zhongyi.
1st Air Force: Aircraft carrierS Akagi, Kaga, commander Of the Nanun Tadaichi. Second Air Force: Aircraft carrier "Soryu", "Flying Dragon", Commander Yamaguchi is much known. Fifth Air Force: Aircraft carriers Shōzuru, Mizuzuru, Commander Hara Tadaichi. Maritime Support Force —
Commander: Mikawa Junichi. Third Squadron: High-speed battleships Hiei, Kirishima, commander of The Mikawa Junichi. Fifth Squadron: Heavy Cruisers Riegen, Chikuma, Commander Hiroshi Abe. Maritime Vigilance Force -
Commander: Major General Sentaro Omori. Light cruiser Abukuma, destroyers Tanikaze, Urakaze, Hamikaze, Isokaze
No., "Unknown Fire", "Xia", "Shotan", "Yangyan", "Qiuyun". Advance Patrol -
Commander: Kinjiro Imazumi.
Submarines "I-19", "I-21" "I-23".
Maritime Supply Force - Commanders: Masachi Ohto, Shinmi, and Takadasa.
Refueling ships "Far Eastern Maru", "Kenyo Maru", "Kuniyo Maru", "Shinkoku Maru", "Jiyo Maru", "Toho Maru", "Higashi Ei Maru", "Nihon Maru".
Four other units that took part in the Battle of Pearl Harbor but did not come to Single Crown Bay were assembled, starting from Truk Base in the Caroline Islands.
Advance Formation - Commander: Commander of the Sixth Fleet, Mitsumi Shimizu.
First Submarine Force: Major General Mian Sato led the "I-9", "I-15", "I-17" and "I-25" four submarines in the northeast of Oahu to attack the SHIPS that the US military may counterattack.
Second Submarine Force: Major General Shigehiro Yamazaki led the "I-1", "I-2", "I-3", "I-4", "I-5", "I-6" and "I-7" 7 submarines in the Kauai Strait and The Kaiway Strait between Oahu and Kauai Island and Molokai Island, monitoring and waiting for an opportunity to attack the US army.
Third Submarine Force: Rear Admiral Miwashi led the "I-8", "I-68", "I-69", "I-70", "I-71", "I-72", "I-73", "I-74", "I-75" 9 submarines in the waters south of Oahu to attack the SHIPS that the US military may launch a counterattack.
Special Attack Forces -
Commander: Commander of the Third Submarine Group, Sasaki Hanjiu. Under the jurisdiction of the "I-16", "I-18", "I-20", "I-22" and "I-24" 5 submarines, each carrying a pocket submarine, before the air raid to release the pocket submarine, by its own infiltration into the harbor, after the first air raid began to launch a torpedo attack from the water.
Reconnaissance units in key areas -
The I-10 is responsible for reconnaissance of fiji and Samoa in the south, while the I-26 is responsible for reconnaissance of the movement of U.S. forces in the Northern Aleutian Islands.
Midway Raiding Force - Commander: 7th Destroyer Group Konishi Konishi Ōsa, consisting of two destroyers, Akebono and Ryū, and a supply ship using the Jiriya, tasked with shelling Midway and preparing the main fleet for operations at Pearl Harbor.
Yamamoto finished speaking, shook his hand, patted his ass and left, and the burden of Qianjun completely fell on Nanyun's shoulders. The fleet he led was the essence of the Japanese Combined Fleet, with a total of more than 15,000 officers and men.
In the Pacific theater of World War II, if the impact on the Japanese Navy is great, it should be said that Nanyun is only ranked after Yamamoto. In terms of official positions, although after Yamamoto's death, Koichi Koga, Vice Takeshi Toyoda, and Jisaburo Ozawa, who succeeded as commanders of the combined fleet, were all higher than Nanyun, their influence was not as great as That of Nanyun. The reason for this is that whether it is pearl harbor, which was a great victory for the Japanese navy or Midway Island, Nanyun was the first commander of the battlefield, which can really be described as "success is also Nanyun, and defeat is also Nanyun."
Born in Yamagata Prefecture in March 1887, Minamiun, a light-skinned and thin figure, was three years younger than Yamamoto.
He graduated from the 36th class of the Edajima Naval Academy and ranked seventh out of 191 students in the same period. After that, he entered the Naval University twice for further study, and after graduation, he served on a number of destroyers, cruisers, and battleships, and trained a strong water skill. Nanun also served as president of the Mine School and the Naval University, and was a well-known expert in torpedo warfare in the Japanese Navy. He was promoted to major general in 1935 and lieutenant general in 1939, during which time he participated in the Sino-Japanese Battle of Songhu. Just before the outbreak of the Pacific War, in April 1941, Nanyun Linwei was appointed commander of the First Air Fleet. From that moment on, he knew that his personal success or failure was henceforth closely linked to Japan's destiny.
During the Azakan era, Nanyun was once fierce, and his words and actions were highly praised within the Japanese Navy. Nanyun is an out-and-out "fleet faction", who had a dispute with inoue Naimi in the "treaty faction" and pulled out his saber to chop Inoue alive. Today, the heavy psychological pressure has gradually made him cringe and shrink, and he is jokingly called the "taciturn admiral of the navy" - which is a sad thing for the Japanese navy and For nanyun himself. Although there are not many words, the temperamental Nanyun is often aggressive but lacks creative in his military strategy, and sometimes even ill-conceived. From the several shocking sea battles in which Nanyun participated in the early stages of the war, we can see that Nanyun did not actively express his personal intentions in the formulation of pre-war plans and the grasp of fighters during the war.
Mine expert Nanyun is purely layman in aviation warfare. After the war, some commentators said that if Nanyun had commanded not the First Air Fleet, but the First Fleet composed of battleships, or the Second Fleet with heavy cruisers as the core, it might have been more in line with his habitual personality. In other words, Nanyun is not the best person to command a large aircraft carrier fleet. History is so wrong and bad that Nan Yun, an expert in torpedo warfare, unexpectedly took the position of commander of the aircraft carrier fleet. Lao Jiu thought that the first person to hold this important position was Jinzaburo Ozawa, the commander of the Southern Expedition Fleet, who was familiar with aviation operations, had both wisdom and courage, and could cooperate well with the Army. The second candidate was The Commander of the Second Air Combat Corps and an expert in aviation warfare, Tatsumi Yamaguchi. The reason why Yamaguchi ranked after Ozawa was because Lao Jiu felt that Yamaguchi, like the commander of the Third Air Combat Corps, Kakuda Kyūji, was brave and brave, and lacked stability, and was a general rather than a handsome man. There was originally one more candidate, and that was the commander of the Eleventh Air Fleet, Tsukahara 243. But this guy was seriously injured in Wuhan during the invasion of China, lost his left hand, and was no longer suitable for serving at sea, so he had to stay on shore.
Nanyun was a pessimist in reality, so the combined fleet deliberately arranged for Grass Deer to be his chief of staff. On the one hand, Caolu still knows a little bit of air warfare and can make up for the lack of Nanyun at work. Grass Deer, on the other hand, is a natural optimist who complements the pessimistic Nanyun in personality. Compared to commander Nanyun's sad face, the grass deer giggled all day and kept happy, as if nothing was in his heart.
But if you think that Nanyun is incompetent, it is a big mistake. Nanyun has shortcomings and strengths, and mine warfare experts are certainly navigation experts. Just when everyone was restless about how to secretly sail 6,000 kilometers without being discovered, Nanyun smoothly brought a huge mobile force to the designated attack site, and there was no mistake in the middle, Pearl Harbor was able to achieve a "big victory", and Nanyun could be said to have done a great job. After the Battle of Pearl Harbor, Nanun's popularity reached Yamamoto. In the following six months, he led the armada to kill in the east and west, and the southern conquest of the northern war, launched a series of battles to kill chickens and cattle knives, and the battle was victorious, the attack must be overcome, invincible, and the United States, Britain, and the Netherlands, the current or former world navy bosses, fled in the wind. For a time, the Allies talked about the discoloration of the "South Cloud", and this situation continued until the outbreak of the Battle of Midway.
At 9:00 a.m. on November 23, Nanyun summoned the commanders and staff officers of the various teams to the flagship "Akagi" to discuss operational matters. In addition to Nan yun, there was also a lieutenant general who was still running the dragon set at this time, and the commander of the maritime support force that brought the greatest humiliation to the US military in the future naval battle of Savo Island. In addition, there are a group of major generals such as Ryunosuke Kusaka, Tatsumi Yamaguchi, Hiroshi Abe, Tadaichi Hara, and Sentaro Omori, as well as a group of cattle people such as Shigeru Genda and OishiHo. The meeting will conduct a comprehensive study of major issues such as fleet routes, sea refueling, patrols and vigilance, and the time and location of take-off of carrier-based aircraft.
The first is the need to determine the walking route. The meeting decided to follow the design of the black island turtle people before, and take the northern line with strong winds and waves and harsh climate. Although this line will bring some difficulties to refueling at sea, it is more important to hide its whereabouts and not be detected in advance. Moreover, the difficulties in refueling can be overcome through their own efforts.
When the "Plan Z" was waiting for approval by the military command, some people asked why not take this opportunity to carry out an amphibious landing on Pearl Harbor and seize the largest US military base in the Pacific in one fell swoop? Old Wine had also naively pondered this question many times when he was young, and in fact this whimsical proposal was quickly rejected at that time. The U.S. Army units in Pearl Harbor have 42,959 infantry 24th Division, 25th Division, Coast Artillery, Army Aviation, etc., plus Marine Corps and other naval units, the total strength should not be less than 50,000 people.
With such a strong ground force, the Japanese army had to land at least 3 or more army divisions to win. How many troop carriers will be needed for personnel, ammunition, and supplies? Can the Southern Campaign still be fought? Most importantly, if it had been done, it would certainly not have been possible to take the choppy northern route, and it would have been impossible for such a large fleet to complete the middle or southern routes without being discovered.
The second is offshore refueling. The meeting initially determined the approximate time and sea area for several refueling operations. In the unlikely event that refueling at sea cannot be carried out, it is the overriding task of the mobile unit to let the vigilance units that must be refueled return, and the main force of the mobile units charge alone and try to transport the aircraft to the take-off site safely and without incident.
The third is to determine the take-off location. Too close to Pearl Harbor is easy to be discovered by the U.S. military, too far will cause pilots to enter the battle in an overly fatigued state, affecting the hit rate of torpedoes and bombs, and it will be more difficult for fighters with little experience in sea flight to return to the country alone. The meeting finally decided that the take-off area should be 370 kilometers north of Oahu, that is, the sea near 42° north latitude and 170° west longitude.
According to the speed of the Japanese aircraft at that time, it took about 2 hours from the time the aircraft took off and assembled in formation over the aircraft carrier to reach the target. Japan also intends to use the so-called "unequal range" to attack Fateli, that is, the aircraft carrier sails in the dark, and when the aircraft take off at dawn when they are separated to the location closest to the target of the attack, the aircraft carrier then heads back and leaves, and the aircraft returns to meet the aircraft carrier at a place farther away from the take-off site. The voyage of the Japanese aircraft is shorter, and the return time is longer than the time it is. In this way, once the US plane pursues, it must fly a longer distance on the back and forth, increasing the difficulty of its pursuit. Unfortunately, the US troops were knocked unconscious and unable to organize a counterattack, and this elaborate plan did not come in handy later.
The fourth is to determine the direction of the attack. For most of the winter, trade winds blow slowly from the northeast toward the Cuejom Mountains in central Oahu, where dense layers of clouds and rain form, providing excellent cover for sneak attacks. Groups of assault aircraft could sneak up on targets hidden in clouds and rain, and then suddenly appear over Pearl Harbor before defenders could take off and intercept. Nine years ago, the American fleet led by Admiral Yanal burst into the port from this direction.
The final problem is search and vigilance. This task was entrusted to three submarines, the I-19, the I-21 and the I-23, which would form a cordon about 370 km in front of the mobile force. In addition, the water reconnaissance aircraft carried by the battleships Hiei, Kirishima, and the heavy cruisers Rigan and Chikuma will also conduct search and vigilance within about 300 kilometers of the mobile unit.
It was already 16:00 at the end of the meeting, and an equally important meeting over there was not yet over. If this group of people just now was floating on the sea, then that group of people was all flying in the sky.
Compared with that group of generals, this side is just a group of adjutants and lieutenants, but the content of the meeting is equally important. The meeting was chaired by Mizuo Fuchida, commander of the first wave of attack aircraft, and the rest included Shigeharu Murata, the leader of the torpedo aircraft, Hitoshi Takahashi, the leader of the dive bomber, Shigeru Itaya, the leader of the fighter, Shigekazu Shimazaki, the leader of the second wave of attacks, and many flight captains. Most of them were hearing of the plan for the attack on Pearl Harbor for the first time. The meeting first begins with determining the timing of the attack. The original plan was to launch an attack at dawn, for which the flight teams needed to take off from the aircraft carrier at night and fly in large formations at night. This is not a problem for the old birds of the First and Second Air Forces, but it is difficult for the flying teams of the Fifth Air Force, who have not yet conducted several such trainings, and whether they can fly at that time will be in question. The Conference therefore decided that
Instead, take off at dawn to carry out a daylight attack, that is, one hour before sunrise, at about 6 a.m., carrier-based aircraft take off from the aircraft carrier.
The second is the order in which the various flight teams attack the targets. According to the information currently available, there are three or four aircraft carriers and eight battleships in Pearl Harbor. The preferred target is, of course, an aircraft carrier, followed by a battleship, and finally a heavy cruiser, a light cruiser, a destroyer, and other ships, which, to put it bluntly, is to bomb according to the size of the column. It will not be easy to take out most of the capital ships of the US military and make the Pacific Fleet incapacitated for half a year or more. If it is a sea operation, it can sink the enemy ship in one fell swoop and sink it completely into the deep sea. However, at present, the enemy fleet is parked in a military port with complete repair facilities, where the water depth is only more than 10 meters, and if the enemy ship has a draft of 7 meters, as long as it sinks less than 10 meters, it will touch the seabed. After the enemy ship is "sunk", if the tilt is not strong, the deck of the hatch may not be able to get wet with seawater, and it does not take much effort to salvage them and repair them for use, so it is necessary to find a way to completely blow them up. This requires prediction of the effectiveness of different attacks.
The first is a torpedo attack. The torpedo fleet consists of 40 aircraft, using 800 kg of torpedoes, of which the amount of explosives is about 200 kg. To inflict a fatal blow on a large ship such as a battleship or aircraft carrier,
At least 3 torpedoes need to be hit in order to destroy its underwater part and capsize it. Some torpedoes may be shot down by U.S. anti-aircraft artillery fire, and at best they can achieve a 60% hit rate, that is, 24 torpedoes hit enemy ships. Based on the fact that one ship needs to hit 3 torpedoes, as long as the target is properly distributed, it can sink 8 enemy capital ships. The 40 aircraft of the torpedo fleet were divided into 8 squadrons, of which 4 were in six-plane formations and 4 in four-plane formations, each of which selected an attack target, so that the torpedo fleet arranged attacks on 4 aircraft carriers and 4 battleships located on the outer side.
The second is horizontal bombing. The horizontal bomber fleet totaled 50 aircraft, formed into 10 squadrons in five-aircraft formations,
The height of the bomb dropped is 3000 meters. Horizontal bombing is less efficient and the bombing procedures are very rigid. When carrying out horizontal bombing, the aircraft of the five-plane formation should maintain a distance of half a plane between each other, and form a strict formation at the same altitude and at the same speed. The pilot of the guide bomber needs to have great skill to correct the course in time without the slightest deviation. The formation is guided by the bomb-throwing aimers of the guide bombers, dropping bombs together as they approach the target. Subsequent bombers must pull the bomb rope at the moment the guide bomb is dropped, and the second and third bombers must be dropped no later than 1/100th of the time the guide bomber drops, and the fourth and fifth bombers are not later than 1/10th of a second. In this way, the landing point of the bomb can cover the target, of which roughly 1 bomb can be hit, that is, when the five aircraft formation is used as an attack unit, 1 of the 5 bombs is hit. But not all 10 attacking units can catch the target.
It also suffers considerable losses during attacks, roughly maintaining a catch rate of 80%, i.e. only 8 bombs out of 8 attacking units hit the target.
The horizontal bombardment used an 800 kg armor-piercing bomb modified from a battleship's 406 mm shell, which was fatal enough if hit. This bomb is equipped with a delay fuze with a delay of 0.2 seconds, which can penetrate the armor of the battleship and explode inside the ship, and once it explodes near the ammunition compartment, it will cause a series of large explosions, which is the best effect. Later, the battleship "Arizona" really responded to the judgment of the Japanese army.
To inflict a fatal blow on a battleship, it is essentially necessary to hit 2 800 kg bombs, which means that the horizontal bomber fleet can play normally and can take out 4 battleships. The U.S. Pacific Fleet is likely to have 2 battleships moored side by side on the right side of the east coast of Ford Island, and the torpedo fleet is unable to attack the battleships parked on the inside, so the 4 battleships on the inner side are just left for the horizontal bomber fleet to deal with.
If all goes well, 40 torpedo planes and 50 horizontal bombers could essentially deliver a fatal blow to the main force of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, about 12 large warships. But this is only theoretical, and in fact there will definitely be deviations. It's okay, there are dive bombers waiting behind.
This was followed by dive bombing. Because of the series of difficult maneuvers, the dive bomber fleet can only carry 1 250 kg ordinary bomb per aircraft. Dive bombers start dive from an altitude of 4000 meters,
In order to obtain a higher hit rate, when the pointer of the altimeter points to 450 meters, the bomb is started, and the dive angle can be increased in downwind conditions, so that the hit rate can be raised higher, and it is eventually expected to exceed 80%. But some planes may be shot down and are expected to keep 50 percent of the bombs from hitting the target. There were 81 dive bombers, half of which were 40 hits. However, the 250-kilogram bomb could not penetrate the armor of the battleship, and even if it hit, it was nothing more than a scratch. Compared with battleships, aircraft carriers are thin in structure, and dive bombing can give them a fatal blow. Aircraft carriers are the main enemy, so dive bombers will go all out to attack all aircraft carriers. If there is more than enough troops, the target will be selected in the order of battleships and cruisers.
Battleships and aircraft carriers capsize when attacked by torpedoes, and unarmored underwater parts are exposed. At this time, the use of dive bombing can completely destroy the enemy ship and make it impossible to repair. For such a target, it would be done by a fleet of dive bombers in the second wave of attacks.
Finally, it's time to send a mission to the fighter. For all of the above tasks to be successfully accomplished, there is a prerequisite, that is, air supremacy in the combat area must be obtained. These tasks can only be given to the invincible Zero fighters. Of course, the enemy's fighters will take off, and the first wave of air superiority fighters with 45 fighters and the second wave of 36 fighters will first annihilate the enemy aircraft taking off, secure air supremacy, and then strafe the airfields. In addition to the ships, it must also paralyze the six major airfields of the US military on Oahu. The first dive bomber fleet of 54 aircraft, divided into three teams, would simultaneously attack Wheeler and Ford Island airfields with fighters, as well as Hickam airfield with heavy bombers. Ford Island and Hickam airfields are close to Pearl Harbor, and the attacks on these two airfields require strict care not to let the smoke rise prevent other forces from attacking ships in Pearl Harbor.
In order to further expand the results, the second wave of horizontal bombers, a total of 54 aircraft, is also divided into 3 teams, and will continue to bomb the above airfields, for which the second wave of horizontal bombers will carry 250 kg and 60 kg bombs.
These were the targets assigned to the total of about 360 aircraft participating in the airstrike. In order to protect the safety of the mobile force itself, each aircraft carrier will leave 1/3 of the fighter jets to patrol the skies over the fleet to avoid the occurrence of emergencies.
The meeting was over, and the preparations did not end, but continued throughout the voyage. Almost every day the raid plan was being adjusted and revised in detail, and many senior officers did not even leave the war room for a moment, even sleeping at night. Whoever thinks of a problem immediately rolls over and everyone deliberates and studies it over and over again.
The Combined Fleet has already distributed various warship models of the U.S. Pacific Fleet to various flight teams, and pilots have been trained tirelessly in the identification of U.S. ships. They used the valuable time between training sessions to observe from the ship's cross-section and different bevels to improve their ability to identify U.S. warships. For example, which warship has several chimneys, whether the bridge is on the starboard side or on the starboard side, whether it is a cage mast or a triangular mast, and so on. Pilots are even dreaming, which makes their recognition rate of American ships, especially large ships such as aircraft carriers and battleships, almost 100%, far more than the recognition ability of domestic ships.
There was such a small episode in between. The sister ships Mizuzuru and Shōzuru were very similar in appearance, and at the end of one exercise, The pilot of the Mizuzuru, Yuzo Tsukamoto, mistakenly landed on the Shōzuru. In this regard, Tsukamoto laughed at himself with embarrassment: "If it were an Aircraft Carrier of the United States, I would not be mistaken!" "It made everyone laugh.
On November 24, Nanyun summoned all the pilots to the deck of the Akagi for one last lecture before the expedition. Nanyun finally said: "Now that the country is at a critical juncture of life and death, if the positions of life are outside the degree, have the courage to shoulder heavy responsibilities, are willing to serve the country with a sincere heart, and are willing to overcome difficulties with a courageous and courageous spirit, anything in the world can be done." May all loyal and courageous people work together with their own duties and give their lives generously to repay the grace of the king! ”
After the lecture, the military commander, Eisuke Suzuki, who had just returned from a field trip to Hawaii, arrived at Danguan Bay with the battleship Birui and elaborated on the situation at Pearl Harbor again in front of the model on Oahu. Suzuki said:
1. The combat ships of the United States Pacific Fleet continue to be trained in the manner in which they were previously trained, departing on Mondays and returning to port on Saturdays at the latest.
Large ships are moored around Oahu, and battleships are docked side by side in pairs. The current location of the aircraft carrier is unknown, but there are two to three aircraft carriers cruising in the waters near Hawaii.
The port of Pearl Harbor has not been laid with mines, but it is estimated that it is surrounded by a complete anti-submarine network. Except for Saturday afternoons and Sundays, the U.S. military's flight training was quite active. Sixth, it seems that no aircraft have been dispatched to conduct large-scale air patrols.
Except for two yellow circular balloons with a diameter of 4.5 meters and a dark green fixed balloon found over the large hangar of Hickam Air Base on 7 November, no blocked balloons were seen.
The meteorological situation near Oahu is light rain and there are no difficulties in flight. In the morning, the tops of Oahu's mountains are mostly covered with clouds, and the weather is often very clear before noon, but in the afternoon there is a little residual cloud.
The next day, the flight captains on their aircraft carriers respectively explained their combat tasks to the pilots according to the attack plan, and then all the flight personnel who participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor took turns to visit the sand table models of Oahu and Pearl Harbor in the form of a flying team. The 3.3-square-meter model was previously made by the Military Command for the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Commander Fuchida stood next to the model, instructing and explaining the terrain and attack essentials with the whip. For example, he explained to the pilot of the torpedo fleet: "The torpedo fleet received the order to attack here, rushed to the valley into the mountain pass, and then swerved around like this, passing through the obstacles in the factory area at an altitude of 50 meters, and reaching the shore." This is the same as the essentials of training in Kagoshima Bay. As soon as you fly to the shore, you immediately reduce the altitude to 20 meters, and then immediately drop a mine. This is Ford Island, where the target may be leaning side by side. Note that this distance is 500 meters, and the water depth here is only 12 meters, and it is here that we carry out the shallow sea torpedo attack that we have practiced so hard. Be careful, otherwise the torpedo will plunge into the ocean floor. Attack from right to left, starting with the vanguard squadron. Don't just pick good targets and concentrate too much in one place, with one squadron attacking a warship. ”
From morning to night, Fuchida explained more than 20 times in a row. From the torpedo fleet, the horizontal bomber fleet, the dive bomber fleet to the air superiority fighter fleet, their respective tasks were fully explained against the sand table. At night, Fuchida's voice was dumb.
After returning from the attack on Pearl Harbor, one pilot told Fuchida about the feelings of the attack: "Captain, the terrain of Oahu is exactly the same as our sand table." Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but laugh.
As early as November 19, the five submarines of the Special Attack Force, each carrying one special submarine, had been moving south along the Bungo Waterway between Shikoku and Kyushu, towards a designated location north of Pearl Harbor.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-center-line" > the sky is crossed</h1>
As early as the time when Kuroshima Kametomi first submitted Plan Z to the military command, the first reason for Fukuro and Tomitoshi Tomioka's opposition was that "the key to the success or failure of Plan Z is not to expose the intention of the war, and it is quite difficult to achieve this."
Indeed, the success of the attack on Pearl Harbor presupposes the surprise of the U.S. military attack. In order to ensure the achievement of the surprise attack, in addition to strict secrecy, it is also necessary to prevent the enemy from correctly judging the japanese military's combat intentions. Although opposition to the battle plan continued until November, during this time, up to the Admiralty, to the Military Command, down to the Combined Fleet, everyone worked together and took a series of measures to conceal their whereabouts and confuse the U.S. military. At the same time that the Nanyun Fleet was actively preparing for the attack, the camouflage measures taken by the Naval Province and the Military Command were also carried out in secret.
In October, the base camp organized a large-scale joint landing operation exercise in the inland sea of Japan, and the exercise also invited military attaches of embassies in Japan to observe the scene in order to divert everyone's attention. As mentioned earlier, for reasons that are well known, there is little possibility that the Japanese army will want to carry out a landing operation at Pearl Harbor, so the imaginary combat area of the exercise is undoubtedly the southern region.
Around 15 November, the squadrons of the First Air Fleet that participated in the operation gradually withdrew from the training base and returned to the mothership. As many as 400 aircraft, originally trained day and night at several different bases, their sudden disappearance will soon become the subject of street talk, let alone escape the astute US military spy agency. The Military Command has made arrangements for this long ago. As soon as the rear wheels of these aircraft left the ground, the aircraft of the 12th Joint Air Force of Kyushu and the various coach air teams landed, quickly achieving cross-transposition and seamless docking. The type and number of aircraft stationed at the training airports are basically the same as before, and all training is still carried out as usual, and there is no change on the surface. Not only that, but even the original radio communication signals were as usual, and false telegrams were continuously sent between the main forces and the troops stationed in the coaches, maintaining the original amount of communication. This measure has yielded good results. For more than half a month, the allied spy agencies lurking in Japan did not detect any suspicious changes.
The ships of the Nanyun Mobile Force also chose different routes to go to ShanGuan Bay, one or two ships successively went to the assembly site at different times, and the chosen route was also a special route away from the ordinary route, for which some ships even detoured far away from the Pacific Ocean. In order to prevent the possible surveillance of U.S. submarines near the mainland, special anti-submarine vigilance measures were taken when the ships set off. All the radio facilities of the expeditionary ships were left behind, and the telegrams were normally transmitted at the original transmission frequency in order to deceive the Radio Monitoring of the Allies. From the moment of departure, the warships began to strictly observe radio silence, and all telegrams were not received, a situation that lasted until the beginning of the battle on December 8.
During this time, the massive mobile force became a mute, but not deaf. The external ties of Shan Guan Bay were completely cut off, and all the daily necessities of the island's residents were specially arranged by the military command. All foreign correspondence of combatants must be rigorously scrutinized and all withheld until the war has begun. In the meantime, a newlywed soldier kept writing letters to his wife, and by the time the family received it, it was already a thick pile.
On the morning of December 5, three days before the start of the Pearl Harbor operation, a special train from Yokosuka station came from Tokyo Station, from which 500 trainees of the Yokosuka Naval Mine School got off the train. The logo of the "Naval Mine School" on the sailor's hat was replaced by the "Imperial Japanese Navy". These trainees, led by the instructor, Captain Iwashige Masayoshi, lined up neatly and walked toward the Nichong Bridge Square in front of the imperial palace. Along the way, journalists and curious people kept taking pictures on the side of the road. Not far from the line, embassy personnel from some countries were also observing curiously and alertly. In the square, they met up with 500 cadets of the Naval Artillery School, led by the instructor, Lieutenant Jing Minzang, wearing the same sailor hats. 1,000 young people visited the Palace together on the Nichong Bridge, and then each visited according to a pre-arranged route. The route for trainees at the Mine School begins with a visit to Meiji Jingu Shrine and Yasukuni Shrine, followed by a visit to the Asahi Shimbun near Aroraku station.
Free activities are allowed in the afternoon, which of course is also planned in advance. Most of the young people had never been to the Tokyo metropolis, and they suddenly flocked to the downtown area, curiously wandering the streets of Ginza, and it was estimated that not many people would shop. The sudden appearance of so many sailors on the sidewalk in bright blue and white uniforms and leggings wrapped in their feet aroused the curiosity and onlookers of Tokyo's citizens. On December 5 and 6, as many as 3,000 trainees and cadets of the Yokosuka Naval Academy visited Tokyo.
The citizens of Tokyo who witnessed this scene had their own ideas. Someone frowned and said, "In the current tense situation, I still visit Tokyo, what a famous place!" It's too leisurely. ”
Some people also admired this: "It is really worthy of the Imperial Japanese Navy, and it can be so dashing and unhurried in such a special period." Our country is truly great. ”
A slightly more intelligent person speculated: "So leisurely, it seems that there will be no war in the near future, right?" More attentive people wondered how young these sailors looked too young, like a bunch of hairy children. There are really reporters who come forward to interview, and these are undoubtedly "trusts" that have been arranged in advance. They did not interview the ordinary "soldiers", but only occasionally interviewed the "officers" who led the team, crackling, and the photos were taken a lot. The organization of a large number of trainees and cadets from the Yokosuka naval schools and "seamen" to visit Tokyo in sailor attire was an activity specially arranged in accordance with the instructions of the Admiralty of the Base Camp and a kind of pretense to cover up the south cloud mobile unit's departure to Hawaii. Because the spy agencies of the United States, Britain, and other countries were desperately trying to spy on when Japan would go to war, the Headquarters Admiralty believed that this move was an appropriate way to disguise the war.
Of course, the media will also cooperate appropriately. On December 6, the evening issue of the Asahi Shimbun featured a special report under the headline "Three Thousand Naval Warriors Visiting the Company, and published a large photograph of sailors visiting the newspaper. Reporting Cloud:
The 3,000 naval warriors who trained intensely day and night in the rough Pacific Ocean arrived in Tokyo in batches under the leadership of two naval lieutenants, Iwashige, in the early morning of the 5th. They lined up in a neat line to pay homage to Miyagi Castle in Nijubashi Square, and after they visited Meiji Jingu Shrine and Yasukuni Shrine, they came to visit our shrine at 10:00 a.m.
After The director of our editorial office, Hideo Nomura, gave a welcome speech in the auditorium on the seventh floor, they visited the newspaper for about an hour. The warriors watched the high-speed conveyor with amazement and were interested in the carrier pigeons on the roof. They then visited the Broadcasting Hall in Hibiya. In the afternoon, the warriors spent a pleasant day for free time, and did not return to the team until the evening. For these warriors, this is really a rare day of leisure. The news soon spread to Britain and the United States, and even Kimmel, commander of the Pacific Fleet, heard about it. In response, the admiral frowned and sneered contemptuously: "Playing with such a low-level means is simply scornful." But then again, they don't have to do this, they can do whatever they want, and the illusion can never hide the real facts. Kimmel believed that all this was just a cover for Japan to prepare for an attack on the south.
Just six days before the start of the war, at 13:00 on December 2, the 17,000-ton Japanese luxury mail ship "Ryuda Maru" set sail from the port of Yokohama as a "second evacuation ship" to Los Angeles, an important town on the west coast of the United States. On this day, the evening issue of the Asahi Shimbun reported the following under the headline "The second evacuation of overseas Chinese in the United States, 'Longtian Maru' set sail for the magnificent Pacific Ocean": "There were 148 passengers on board. Among them, there were 45 people in the first class, 28 people in the second class, and 75 people in the third class, including 4 foreign passengers, including Mr. Consté, the wife of Mr. Consté, the Norwegian chargé d'affaires in Japan; Blanetto, a Chilean journalist who inspected Manchuria and North China this spring, and 35 other foreign passengers. On the 29th of last month, with the consent of the US government, more than 60 overseas Japanese overseas Chinese who were eager to return to the United States were eager to return to the United States.
As a result, only 3 people had time to go through the formalities. Together with the elderly Taro Minamikoku, who has lived in the United States for 54 years, they rushed to catch the ship before it was about to start.
Although the number of passengers is small, because the departure time is at a critical juncture when the Japan-US negotiations are at an extremely important stage, the docks are crowded with farewell crowds. From the deck came the music of the Patriotic March, which intertwined with the shouts of 'goodbye' from the people, and countless handkerchiefs fluttered with the wind. The boat slowly sailed away from the dock. ”
For Kimura Hei, the new captain of the "Ryuda Maru", there are several problems that are difficult to understand, one of which is that the date of departure of the ship has been postponed again and again. The ship was scheduled to set sail in mid-November, but was later postponed to the 20th, and then received a delayed order, and it was not until the 27th that it decided to set sail on December 2, and the departure of the ship was reported in the newspaper in the form of a statement by the relevant authorities: "According to the statement issued by the diplomatic authorities, the Imperial Government is negotiating with the United States Government on the second evacuation of the ship after the first evacuation of the ship to the United States. In accordance with the understanding obtained this time, the 'Ryuda Maru' will be sent to Los Angeles and the port of Balboa in Panama. The ship set sail as soon as it was ready and was scheduled to leave Yokohama within this month. ”
The evening newspaper also published the upcoming location and approximate time of the luxury mail ship. Departing from Yokohama on December 2, arriving in Los Angeles on December 14, departing from Los Angeles on December 16, and arriving at Balboa Port on December 24.
On December 6, four days after Ryuda Maru left Yokohama, the Asahi Shimbun evening newspaper again reported the following: "According to a statement issued by the Diplomatic and Post and Telecommunications Authorities on the 5th: On December 2, it set sail from Yokohama to Los Angeles and Balboa Port' Ryuda Maru, this time with a stop in Mexico, decided to change its sailing schedule as follows: arrived in Los Angeles on December 14, set sail from Los Angeles on December 16, arrived at Manzanillo, Mexico on December 19, set sail from Manzanillo on December 22, arrived at Balboa Port on December 26, and sailed home from Balboa Port on December 28. ”
Everything looks normal. However, the hype and reporting on the "Ryuda Maru" trip was also one of the blindfold methods used by the military command. Japan regards the voyage of the "Ryuda Maru" as a kind of "decoy to cover people's ears and ears", with the purpose of making the US side "reassured" that it is still early to believe that Japan is determined to go to war. As for the so-called "statements made by the diplomatic authorities" and "according to the statements issued by the diplomatic and post and telecommunications authorities" reported in the newspapers, they were all written in advance by the Admiralty of the base camp and sent to the newspapers after they had been written in advance to achieve the above purposes.
On December 1, the day before the Ryūda Maru set sail, Captain Kimura was summoned to his office by toshiichi Nakasa Ozen, the Military Affairs Bureau of the Navy Province.
Ōzen said to Kimura, "Captain, this time you are going to have to work hard, please be careful along the way." Then he handed Kimura a rectangular wooden box. The wooden box is heavy in the hand, making people feel that there is something metal or something in it. In fact, the box contained 16 pistols and a letter of instruction to use these pistols. Daizen explained that the chest could only be opened in times of crisis.
The purpose of this move was to ensure that the "Ryuda Maru" could return to Japan smoothly after the start of the war. Because there were more than a dozen U.S. servicemen among the passengers, the Admiralty feared that they would hijack the ship and sail to the United States if they got news of the war between Japan and the United States. On December 2, as the ship was about to set sail, Hayashi Daisaku of the Naval Province boarded the "Ryuda Maru" and had a secret conversation with Captain Kimura and Chief Kato in the chart room under the bridge. Lin Dazuo issued a stern order: "In order not to let passengers listen to the radio, all vacuum tubes must be removed, and no wireless telegrams must be taken on board." ”
When the gong sounded, Lin Dazuo hurriedly walked down the gangway and stood on the dock silently praying, hoping that the "Ryuda Maru" would return smoothly after completing the task of confusing the enemy.
In the United States, many Japanese people also got the news that "Longtian Maru" was coming. Many people feel that the situation between Japan and the United States is very critical, war is about to break out, and the "Ryuda Maru" is likely to be the last flight on the Japan-US route. On December 4 and 5, some people took time out of the busy preparations for their return to China and went to the Japanese Embassy in Washington and the Army and Navy Military Attaché to make their final resignations, and even the French Embassy called to reserve a cabin for a military attaché preparing to go to Japan. Unfortunately the ship never arrived.
Naturally, the news of the departure of the "Ryuda Maru" will inform the Japanese Embassy in the United States. The embassy staff were more informed, having previously received telegrams of destroying the cipher machine under certain conditions. The Assistant Military Attaché of the Navy, Shimatsu, was suspicious of the travel of the "Ryuda Maru". In the tense situation of the imminent outbreak of war, it is simply unimaginable to deliberately send the luxurious "Ryuda Maru" passenger ship to the enemy country for its detention. The sixth sense told Shimatsu that the real mission of the ship's voyage may be just a means of concealing the real actions of the Japanese side. All indications are that the outbreak of war has become something that can happen at any time.
The Embassy Ichimi Omamura Katsuzo felt the same way. When he heard the news, he was watching two Japanese journalists play table tennis. The three of them then began to bet. Okumura believes that "the ship will never get here," while the two reporters believe otherwise. The bet placed by both sides is $1.
Eight days later, just as the "Ryuda Maru" reached the waters north of Midway, Kimura received a telegram: "Ryuda Maru" immediately turned around and returned to Japan at full speed. The "Ryuda Maru", who received the order, slowly turned around in the night.
The responsibility of the captain is enormous. Kimura anticipated that the United States and Japan might already be at war at this time, and in the unlikely event that the news of the start of the war and the passenger ship had sailed in the opposite direction were discovered, it would cause confusion among passengers, especially foreign passengers, and may even induce riots. Captain Kimura's immediate priority was to do everything in his power to avoid such a situation and to maintain law and order inside the ship so that the ship could return home safely.
Kimura immediately made a decision: the news was only known to a few of the ship's backbones, and even the average Japanese crew did not inform them, let alone the passengers. But the fact that the ship, which had been moving slowly to the east in the past, suddenly changed course and sped westward with full horsepower could not be concealed from the experienced experts. When dawn came, one of the Italian naval majors among the passengers soon noticed that the course was not right, and immediately shouted: "The ship is moving in the opposite direction as in the past!" Soon, a series of exclamations erupted among the passengers: "Strange! The ship did not head for its destination, the United States, but back toward Yokohama. ”
There was a commotion inside the ship. As a result of the appropriate measures taken by Kimura and Kato, the confusion among the passengers was not severe, and they did not use the 16 pistols to quell the commotion. In this way, "Ryuda Maru" "brilliantly" completed the "pretend" task planned by the Admiralty. As for whether the US side has really been deceived, it is still a question. Anyway, the ship returned safely to the port of Yokohama on December 14, and the main loss was nothing more than wasting more fuel. Also at the loss was journalist Kato, who lost $1 to Okumura.
As mentioned above, as early as December 4, a large convoy of transport ships attacking Malaya led by Lieutenant General Yamashita Fengwen had set sail from the port of Sanya on Hainan Island. Soon after the departure, it was discovered by a British reconnaissance plane, and the news was quickly reported to Churchill and Roosevelt, and all eyes turned to the South China Sea. Yamashita was unlucky, but this was undoubtedly a major positive for the Nanyun Mobile Force.
These are only small hidden means, and the bigger disguise is under the eyes of the Americans. On December 1, after the Fourth Imperial Council decided to go to war against the United States, Britain, and the Netherlands, Tokyo sent a telegram to Nomura Yoshizaburo and Raisu Saburo in the United States to continue diplomatic negotiations with the Americans as a cover for war. Poor Nomura and Raisu knew nothing about the decisions made in the country. On December 6, the day before the war began, the major media in Tokyo were still trumpeting that Japan would make new concessions to the United States and urge the United States and Japan to reach an understanding and maintain peace in the Pacific.
This leads to the mysterious fourteenth telegram that followed.
< h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" > long road</h1>
November 25 was the day before the Nanyun Mobile Unit set sail from Single Crown Bay. Perhaps in order to enjoy the scenery of the motherland for the last time, the officers and men of the 30 ships gathered on the deck and gazed at the white-capped mountains of The Island for a long time. Subsequently, the ships held activities such as captain's speeches and banquets.
On the aircraft carrier of the second air force flagship, the Soryu, commander Yamaguchi, who was revered by the pilot as a "ghost of training" but affectionately called "Tadamoto Maru", first gave the lecture. Then, with the aim of "Serving the Nation with Seven Lives" of the Duke of Da Nan, the captain Ofagusa Yanagi, known as "Admiral Nogi Of the Navy", took the stage and swore an oath:
"The rise and fall of the Empire, just to fight this move in Hawaii. The reason why I dedicate myself to the Navy is to pray for such a day. As long as I am not dead, even if only a piece of flesh and a drop of blood are left, I will resolutely fight the enemy to the death, even if only one tooth is left, I will bite the enemy to death. May all the seven generations serve His Majesty the Emperor! ”
All the officers and men of the ship shouted along with Yanagimoto's arms: "Serve the country with your death and serve His Majesty the Emperor!" Yanagimoto then seized the spare time before the attack and distributed the runes he had received while paying homage to The Kobe Minagawa Shrine. After that, Yanagimoto began singing his favorite military song, "The Song of Captain Sakuma". The lyrics are to the effect that "dedicating oneself to the kingdom, sticking to one's post, and dying after death is the honor of a Japanese boy." "Captain Yanagimoto is short in stature, but the toad has a big voice. The chorus of 1,500 officers and soldiers bursting out from the bottom of their hearts reverberated for a long time on the wide and cold sea of Shanguan Bay. The "Sakuma Spirit" of "death after death" was Yanagimoto's own solemn vow – but he would not really fulfill this promise until the Battle of Midway six months later. After the chorus, Yanagimoto immediately ordered the star officer on duty to say, "Today you can let the soldiers have a drink." Lieutenant Yamamoto Taki, the duty officer, immediately issued an order: "Open the commissary." In the sailors' cabin, each table was filled with sake from the captain, and then someone poured sake into the kettle and distributed it to the seats.
"Drink it!" "From tomorrow onwards, because you have to prepare for battle, you will temporarily abstain from alcohol." "Not temporarily, this may be the last time in my life to drink!" "Whatever you say, today is a drunken feast for the teacher."
General Yamaguchi and Captain Yanagimoto, who had always been serious, also came to the sailors' cabin at this time and frequently toasted to everyone. From generals to soldiers, everyone drank informally. Captain Nagai carried the wine jug back and forth to pour the wine, and everyone was completely immersed in excitement.
At this time, I don't know who shouted "Lift the captain up", so more than a dozen sailors rushed up, some raised their hands, some grabbed their feet, and in a roar, Captain Yanagimoto was thrown into the air.
That night, a grand party was also held on the Akagi. However, Nanyun, who was always full of sorrow, did not participate, and his heart was always worried, and he felt uncertain about the future prospects. Tomorrow is going to embark on the final journey, and Nanyun turns over and can't sleep. In the middle of the night, he got up from bed and went to Suzuki's cabin in the dark, waking Suzuki from a beautiful dream. He asked Suzuki, "Is it only possible for the ships of the Pacific Fleet to concentrate in Lahaina?" ”
"It's impossible." The sleepy-eyed Suzuki replied. "That's great. Sorry to bother you. ”
On the eve of this journey to Pearl Harbor, Kikuichi Fujita, a staff officer of the Eighth Combat Corps who served on a guard mission, also stayed up all night. He wrote in his diary: "Under the yoke of the Treaty of Washington, we endured 20 years of Anglo-American tyranny, which only sharpened our swords, which were not afraid of strong enemies." Tomorrow this sword will be pierced out, and it will stab directly into the heart of the enemy! ”
At 6 a.m. on November 26, the flagship Akagi raised its signal flag. The navigators of each ship reported to the captains: "The flagship has signaled, anchored, and is ready to leave the port." ”
In the face of falling snowflakes, the most powerful aircraft carrier formation in the history of the Navy led by Nanyun is about to attack from Single Crown Bay and embark on a long journey. As the flagship signal flag slowly descended, each ship pulled anchor in the prescribed order of departure. The huge body of the 30,000-ton aircraft carrier "Akagi" gently skimmed past the slightly thin flagship of the Second Air Force, the "Canglong", and slowly sailed towards the calm sea.
On the top of the mast, the flag of the southern cloud fluttered in the wind in the morning light of the north. On the back deck of the "Akagi", the military band played the majestic "Warship March", which set off the whole departure process more solemnly.
The calm winds and waves at sea seem to bode well. Six aircraft carriers spearheaded by the Akagi slowly sailed out of Shanguan Bay. The only surprise was that while the fleet was anchoring, one of Akagi's propellers was entangled in wire and a sailor fell into the icy water—never to be found. As the massive fleet lined up in columns and sailed past the island, all the battleships, heavy cruisers, and destroyers fired their guns in unison and fired one last live ammunition at the hillside of the island. Snowflakes splash on the mountain, like silver flowers falling one after another, the scene is very spectacular. The officers and men on the ship were all very excited and burst into tears.
It was a lonely journey with no one to bid farewell. At that time, the coastal defense boat "Kunio" which was only on alert duty outside ShanGuan Bay, sent a signal to the mobile force to "wish success". As for what this group of big guys are going to do in groups, a small coastal defense boat certainly doesn't know.
"Thank you!" The Akagi signaled thanks as it led the brigade silently into the distance.
The mobile units lined up in neat sailing formations. Directly in front was the destroyer fleet commanded by Omori, and in the middle was the light cruiser Abukuma, with a destroyer lined up 10 kilometers to the left and right. 15 km to the rear is the main force of the mobile force, the "Akagi" and "Soryu" are in a row, and the space between the two ships is 7 km. 10 kilometers to the right of the Akagi is the battleship Hiei, and 10 kilometers to the left of the "Soryu" is the battleship Kirishima, and these four giant ships form the second column. Seven kilometers behind the Akagi is the Kaga, and 7 kilometers behind the Soryu is the Wyvern. Seven kilometers behind Kaga and Wyvern are the Mizuzuru and Shōzuru. The 6 aircraft carriers are spaced 7 kilometers apart from each other and form two squares. 10 km to the right of the "Mizuzuru" is the heavy cruiser "Ligan", and 10 km to the left of the "Shozuru" is the "Chikuma". The rest of the destroyers were arranged around the main fleet, looking at the entire formation from the air, like fish scales. ——If the old wine could personally glance at this formation in the air, he would not be worth his life when he died!
The three submarines of the dive team were on guard in front of the fish scale array, reconnoitring for neutral merchant ships on the route. If a separate boat is found, climb up and board it and capture it. If the brigade is found, the mobile unit is immediately informed of the situation and immediately dives. The mobile unit also immediately changed course at a large angle and tried to avoid exposing its whereabouts in advance.
This is an armada that completely ignores the terrifying waves of the North Pacific, and its destination is Pearl Harbor, the largest base of the US military in the Pacific. In order to save as much fuel as possible, the ships could only be illuminated with dim lights, the heating supply was stopped, bathing was forbidden, and the Grand Fleet could only maintain an economic speed of 14 knots per hour. The officers and men of all ships are on high alert. On November 30, the fifth day after departure from Single Crown Bay, the fleet had sailed to the 170° east longitude line, where it completed its first sea refueling.
The fleet strictly practiced radio silence. In the communications room of the Akagi, dozens of duty radio soldiers wore headphones and listened intently to the Broadcast in Tokyo, and certainly did not miss the radio dynamics in Hawaii and telegrams sent elsewhere.
Long before the departure of the mobile unit, on November 18, the 27 submarines of the advance team disguised as daily patrols had sailed along the central and southern routes to the designated waters of Hawaii by means of daytime submarine and night surface navigation, performing reconnaissance, surveillance, and attack tasks after the battle began.
The arrow has been mounted, but it has not left the bowstring after all. Nanyun remembered Yamamoto's previous instructions: "If the Japan-US negotiations are successful, the mobile units should immediately turn around and return." On the bridge, he confided his true feelings as a supreme commander to the grass deer next to him: "Grass deer jun, I don't know what you think? I took on such a tricky task! I thought, if I had hardened my scalp a little harder, how good it would have been to simply push this task back! I'm doing it now, but I don't have any confidence in whether I can succeed. ”
"No problem, it will be successful." The grass deer didn't even think about it, and answered him. In the past week, Nanyun had said similar things to The Grass Deer countless times, and the Grass Deer's answer each time was "Don't worry."
"You're an optimist, and I'm really envious." Nan Yun still had a melancholy look on his face. Just as Nanyun and the grass deer were talking, the signal soldier sent a startling telegram. The emergency telegram was taken from the cruiser Katori, the flagship of the Sixth Advance Force. On November 24, on its way from Yokosuka to Kwajalein Island in the Marshall Islands, the Katori suddenly encountered an American Brooklyn-class cruiser 300 kilometers east of Saipan, escorting five transport ships toward the Philippines or Guam.
The U.S. cruiser had a displacement of 9,700 tons and was equipped with 15 150 mm guns. And "Katori"
The Ship was just an old-fashioned cruiser for training, with a displacement of only 5900 tons, only a few 140 mm guns on board, the combat effectiveness was incomparable, the sailing speed was pitifully slow, and if people fired guns, they could not even run, and could only stand there and be beaten. At that time, the Japanese side was surprised, but the Us side was also very nervous. The commander of the advance force, Mitsumi Shimizu, did not change course, but calmly commanded the ships to continue to move forward in the original course.
When the distance between the two sides was about 10,000 meters, the guns on the American cruiser suddenly adjusted their elevation angle, and the muzzles of the guns were aimed at the Katori. Suddenly, the "Katori" was tense and tense. But the U.S. cruiser's mission seemed to be to cover the transport ships, with no intention of provoking the incident first. Only to see them make two drastic changes in course in a row, and then go away in black smoke. When the U.S. ship disappeared on the horizon, the undead Katori immediately reported the situation to the Akagi in an urgent code.
I don't know who the commander on that American cruiser was, but it certainly wasn't Halsey. This sudden change caused Nanyun, who was already worried, to become more nervous.
At 17:30 on December 2, the Akagi received a telegram from Yamamoto: "Combined Fleet Combat Telegram No. 10: 'Climbing New Mountain 1208'." ”
The telegram heralded an attack on Pearl Harbor by the Mobile Force on December 8, as originally planned. The arrival of this telegram made both Nanyun and Caolu feel relieved. The possibility of returning to the sea no longer exists, the war is a foregone conclusion, and there is now only one way forward.
The "New Mountain" in the telegram is Taiwan's highest peak, Jade Mountain. After the Sino-Japanese War, the treasure island of Taiwan was occupied by Japan, and the Jade Mountain at an altitude of 3852 meters exceeded Mount Fuji, which was only 3776 meters, so the Meiji Emperor was in 1897
On June 28, 2006, the edict was issued to rename Yushan "New Mountain". The order was quickly conveyed to the upper echelons of the fleet. That night, Akagi's flight captain, Masao Masuda, wrote in his diary: "Everything is ready. No left, no right, no sadness, no laughter. ”
On December 3, the weather was unusually bad and there was a rare wind on the sea. By the afternoon, the wind speed reached 35 meters per second, so that it was difficult for the fleet to maintain its proper formation. The waves crashed against the ship's side, and the splashing waves jumped onto the deck, leaving the deck full of seawater. Even eating seemed difficult, and soldiers had to free up one hand to press the sliding plate on the table to eat. Due to the constant tilt and bumping of the hull, one of the corporals of the Kaga unfortunately fell to the outboard. If you don't count the person who fell into the water before the departure of the Akagi, this Japanese soldier became the first person to die in this war.
Later that day, the communications office also received an alert from Tokyo, which made Nanyun even more nervous. The telegram said there was a Russian ship near this sea area. The 6 fighters of the Kaga were immediately ready for takeoff, and the pilots were ordered to attack at any time. As a result, nothing was found and the plane never took off. It was just a false alarm.
At nightfall, someone saw a mysterious light over the fleet, and the flagship immediately sounded the alarm. The soldiers ran to their combat posts, and the anti-aircraft guns of several neighboring warships raised their heads, and the muzzles of the guns were aimed at the faint light that appeared from time to time. It was later discovered that the light came from the Kaga's glowing balloon that rose to determine the direction of the wind.
Looking at Nanyun's worried look, before going to bed, Caolu said "please rest assured" again, trying to make Nanyun relax. "I really admire your optimism," Nanyun said with a sigh and a shake of his head.
So far, everything has gone well, and the fleet is still sailing in secret. All the garbage was scrupulously stored, and used empty oil drums were smashed flat and neatly stacked on deck. A second refueling has already been carried out, just as Roger Stevinsky's Second Pacific Fleet has repeatedly broken the world record for coal refueling on long-distance raids, and mobile units have become increasingly skilled in maritime refueling technology. Until then, refueling can only be done at a low speed of 9 knots,
Now the speed of refueling can be increased to 12 knots, and even the efficiency of refueling has been greatly improved. The only thing that disturbed Nanyun was that in the evening Yamamoto sent another telegram saying that he had intercepted a wireless telegram from an enemy submarine in nearby waters. Grass Deer immediately questioned all the captains under his command, and they all said that they had not intercepted similar unspecified telegrams. This made Nanyun a little more relaxed - this Yamamoto was idle at home, how to scare people!
On December 4, the sky was clear and the sea was calm. Shortly after dawn, the Mobile Unit received an information from the Admiralty of the base camp at 22:30 the previous day: the flight patrol near Pearl Harbor was unknown, but no signs of maritime patrols had been found. This information is simply a blessing for the mobile units.
On the fleet's 6 aircraft carriers, the seasoned mechanics repeatedly checked their beloved aircraft as soon as they had time to keep the engines smooth at all times. Long sea voyages are slightly boring, especially for those pilots. Some people are painting, some people are practicing kendo. The fighter pilot, Shuo Shiga, painted eight watercolors alone, and invited the officers on the Kaga to enjoy his private exhibition. For weeks since the last exercise, many pilots, fearing that they are out of the art, have climbed into the cockpit to fiddle with the joysticks on their planes, while the bombardiers have been intently practicing using sights. Others come to the deck and breathe in the fresh air from the sea while doing soft gymnastics to stretch their muscles.
On the hangar deck of the "Tsuru", the crew is playing a "guessing game". Captain Masao Sato, the leader of the fighter detachment, took out the american battleship and aircraft carrier models hidden behind one by one, shook them in front of everyone, and then asked everyone to guess its name.
"USS Pennsylvania." Fighter pilot Tetsuzo Iwamoto, known as the "Zero Strike King," replied. Iwamoto was an ace pilot of the Navy, with a record of shooting down 100 enemy aircraft (the actual final estimate was about 80), and 14 in China. Curiously, he survived the long war and the post-war trial, dying of sepsis in 1955 at the age of 38. "Yes!"
"USS Arizona." Yuzo Tsukamoto rushed to say. "Wrong! It was the OKLAHOMA. Vice Captain Masayoshi Makino corrected. Right! "Then the officer showed you a few silhouettes of the aircraft carriers." USS Lexington. ”
"Yes!" "'Enterprise.'" Yuzo Tsukamoto, who had mistakenly landed on the Shozuru before, did not study well and liked to grab answers. "Stupid! This is the Akagi, our flagship. ”
Sato pretended to be serious and said, "Tsukamoto Jun, don't make a mistake again. Before you landed on the 'Xianghe', it was okay, and people could let you come back safely. If you land on the Enterprise or blow up your ship, it's bad. Laughter erupted from the crowd.
On December 5, although the sea was calm and the sea was calm, the sky was overcast, which was perfect for the fleet that was sailing in secret. The next morning, the mobile unit will enter the flight patrol circle of the enemy aircraft, so the second supply team "Toho Maru", "Higashiei Maru", "Nippon Maru" replenished fuel for the light cruisers and destroyers. After that, the commander of the Second Supply Team, Shinmei Kazuki, hung the signal flag "I wish you success", and then turned around and returned to the ship escorted by the destroyer "Kasumi".
It has been 10 days since the single crown bay attack, during which everyone has endured not bathing in order to save fuel and fresh water. As the war was imminent, the fleet issued a special order to allow all the personnel on board the ship to take a bath today in order to go to the battlefield or leave cleanly. Once again, the ships held a small banquet to wish for the success of future operations. In particular, the pilots on the aircraft carrier who were about to participate in the decisive battle gathered with the mechanics, operators, friends, and fellow villagers who carefully maintained the aircraft to hold a small parting banquet. Everyone knows that some of them are destined not to come back. All the personnel changed into new clothes inside and out, ready to go to war at any time.
At 7:00 a.m. on December 6, the mobile unit rushed into the patrol circle of enemy aircraft. Today, they will break through the patrol circle and head straight for the battlefield of the decisive battle, and tomorrow, they will create an unprecedented feat.
At the same time that the Nanyun Fleet was marching toward Pearl Harbor, on December 1, at the last pre-war imperial meeting in Tokyo, the politicians who decided Japan's fate made a major decision to go to war against the United States, Britain, and the Netherlands in a tangled state.
At 14:00 on the same day, The Commander of the Combined Fleet at Iwakuni, Isoroku Yamamoto, received an edict to meet with Hirohito the next morning. Yamamoto immediately departed for Tokyo at 16:00.
At 10:00 a.m. on December 2, Yamamoto paid homage to Hirohito at the Imperial Palace. Hirohito issued the following sacred edict to Yamamoto:
He ordered the division to be dispatched and entrusted the secretary with the task of commanding the combined fleet. However, the responsibility of the combined fleet is extremely great, and the success or failure of the matter is related to the rise and fall of the country and the survival of the nation. Hope soldiers to The Beacon.
On the evening of December 4, Shimada Held a secret farewell party for his classmate Yamamoto, in which Leading figures such as Shuji Nagano, Junichi Ito, Fushimi Palace, Emperor's brother Takamatsu Palace, and the Emperor's attendant Naval Attaché Kushigegi Uzumaki attended, and Hirohito sent wine to show his encouragement.
On December 6, Minamiun and Kusaka received the Emperor's Edict from Yamamoto from mainland Japan and their own reply. Combined Fleet No. 775 Secret Telegram:
On December 2, the Commander-in-Chief was instructed to honor His Majesty the Emperor with the Emperor's cordial gifts. At that time, the commander-in-chief replied as follows: "Before the war begins, I am grateful that Your Majesty has bestowed upon me with the holy words. Subject to the Mandate of Heaven, the subject was determined to lead all the officers and men of the combined fleet to unite sincerely, work hard with one heart, and fight to the end. In order to carry out the will of the Holy Master, he is not afraid to crush his body and bones, and resolutely achieves the purpose of the Master, in order to fulfill the holy orders of His Majesty. ”
A "Z" signal flag was quickly raised on the mast of the Akagi. 36 years ago, on the battleship Mikasa, the flagship of Togo, such a flag was raised. It was under such encouragement that the fleet led by Togo buried the Russian Second Pacific Fleet.
At the same time, Nanyun issued an incentive telegram from Yamamoto. The thirteenth telegram of the Combined Fleet: "The rise and fall of the imperial kingdom is here, and all the soldiers must fight with all their might!" ”
According to Watanabe Yasuji Nakasa, this was an idea that Ugaki suddenly came up with when he was wrapped up in the toilet. On this day, Ugaki wrote in the "War Algae Record": "Hawaii has become a turtle in an urn, and you will enjoy the dream of a day of peace for the last time!" ”
The 27 submarines of the advance team also successfully reached their intended positions that night. The first group of 4 submarines was in the waters north of Oahu, the second group of 7 submarines blocked the East and West Straits of Pearl Harbor, and the third group of 9 submarines monitored the entrance to Pearl Harbor. The two submarines responsible for reconnaissance in the al-Aleutsians in the north and Samoa in the south also sent messages one after another: the US military in the above areas is as usual, and there is no change.
That night, the mobile unit received the latest report from Tokyo from Yoshikawa from Pearl Harbor: There were 9 battleships, 3 cruisers, and 17 destroyers moored in Pearl Harbor; 4 cruisers and 2 destroyers were docked; there were no aircraft carriers in the harbor, and the US military did not conduct flight patrols; there were no air defense blocking balloons deployed over Pearl Harbor; and Oahu was as calm as ever, and no light control was implemented.
At this time, the mobile force had reached 1100 kilometers east of Midway, and the PATROL aircraft of the US army could appear in view at any time. Nanyun ordered that the fleet immediately transform into a circular anti-aircraft formation. At 3:45 a.m., the First Supply Team," "Far East Maru," "Kenyo Maru," "Kuniyomaru," and "Shinkoku Maru," after completing the last fuel supply to the Abukuma and destroyers, left the large force and headed for the standby position, in preparation for the mobile unit to refuel on the way back from the attack. Nan yun ordered all lightly armed combat troops to quickly increase the speed to 24 knots, and the momentum was fiercely attacking Pearl Harbor!
On the decks of the 6 aircraft carriers, aircraft were neatly arranged, and the mechanics were carrying out the final pre-war inspection. Tomorrow, the planes will carry torpedoes and bombs over Pearl Harbor to attack the U.S. fleet. The mechanic carried out the inspection task very carefully, and the pilot began to check the weapons in a hurry. On the bridge of the "Akagi", standing side by side, Nanun Junichi, Kusaka Ryūnosuke, Captain Hasegawa Kiichi and others stood side by side. At this moment, they silently stared at the fiery red sunset that fell slowly on the western horizon, and the long white track at the stern of the ship stretched straight into the distance.
Nanyun: "Judging from the track, the fleet is accelerating. Grass Deer: "Yes, it is accelerating forward." Nanyun: "What a beautiful sunset." ”
Grass Deer: "Yes, tomorrow someone will never see such a beautiful sunset again." The Navigation Staff Officer Risaburo Nakasa was a little different, and he walked briskly down the ship's bridge gangway toward his cabin under the deck. Although only 11 days have passed since the single crown bay attack, due to the extraordinary voyage, it feels that time has passed very slowly. As a navigation staff officer, Chibe personally collected and compiled first-hand information on the vagaries of the North Pacific's winter climate and currents. In order to enable the fleet to advance in cover and arrive at the designated location on time, the bird was almost racking his brains. The slightest mistake can lead to the destruction of all efforts. "At that time, even the cesarean section will be unforgivable." Birdbe thought.
Whenever he thought of the success or failure of this operation, japan's life and death, Akibe had no other thought in his mind than how to reach that destination. Since the fleet set out from Single Crown Bay, his clothes had not been changed, and he had even eaten and slept on the bridge, or in the war room below. Now that he is about to reach his destination, whether in terms of time or location, there is more than 90% hope of success, and Kibe is somewhat relieved. But he knew that now was the most critical time, and there must be no slackening.
The bird took a bath in pain. He hadn't bathed for more than ten days, and the amount of dirt on his body was so much that even he was surprised, and the bird after bathing felt as fresh as a turtle removing its shell. From crotch cloth and underwear to the military uniform outside, he changed out one by one and put on the brand new clothes he carried on the voyage. He trimmed his hair and nails carefully, wrapped them in paper, and carefully placed them in the drawer of his desk. Kiribe thought that tomorrow, if the bridge is hit by a bomb, I am afraid that the whole body will be blown into powder, and at that time, perhaps only these things can be left behind, which can be sent to the family, or even placed on the incense table or in the Shrine to be admired. Twilight was about to fall, and he was refreshed again and boarded the bridge.
It was late afternoon, but all the men on board were still busy intently trying to make tomorrow's attack foolproof. The mechanic was making one last inspection of the plane in the dim hangar, while the pilot was wiping the windshield in front of the pilot's seat, and the staff officer was intently staring at the schematic of the attack on Pearl Harbor painted on the board. Everyone's faces were both serious and excited.
The most nervous are the pilots who are going to take to the skies tomorrow. Thinking of tomorrow's battle, they suddenly had a feeling of life and death. Once the battle starts, it is unknown who will survive. Although as a member of the Japanese Navy, "sacrificing one's life for the country and being loyal to the emperor" is a supreme honor. Who enjoys this "honor" is not only not unlucky, but a kind of "luck". However, when this day really came, everyone still had a kind of tragedy in their hearts.
The aircraft carrier left a thick and wide snow-white track on the sea that had not yet broken dawn. On the decks of the six aircraft carriers, led by the Akagi, the aircraft that were ready for take-off were parked in the take-off position in the order of fighter and attack aircraft. Some carry large bombs and some hang torpedoes. Someone wrote chalk on one bomb: "The first bomb to attack The United States." "Those torpedoes hanging under the fuselage, the lead-gray thunder shells flashed with a cold light.
The sky is not beautiful, the wind and waves on the sea are still very large, and the ships sailing at full speed in the rough sea are quite bumpy. In order to keep the aircraft stable, the mechanics ran back and forth in the strong wind, desperately fixing the aircraft they were responsible for.
At about 23:00 on December 6, a special submarine attack force led by Sasaki Hanjiu had arrived at Pearl Harbor.
The mother boats stopped advancing about 15 kilometers from Pearl Harbor and began quietly releasing miniature submarines. Standing on the deck of the submarine, you can clearly see the lights on the shore in the distance, you can even recognize the neon lights on Waikee Beach, and you can faintly hear the sound of jazz music faintly coming from the shore. A few minutes later, 4 miniature submarines were launched one after another. The compass of the fifth submarine malfunctioned and could not be repaired for a while. In charge of the submarine were Sergeant Kazuma Kusamaki and Sergeant Inagaki, who insisted on continuing their mission. It wasn't until the sake rolls began to use magnetic compass orientation that its special submarines, like a wild horse that had lost its reins, broke away from the mother boat and dragged a blue-and-white track straight towards the entrance to Pearl Harbor.
At 4:00 a.m. on December 7, after 12 days and 6,600 kilometers of sailing, the South Cloud Mobile Force finally reached the intended attack area about 430 kilometers north of Pearl Harbor.
At 3:30 a.m. Hawaiian time, in the silent night sky, there was a sudden burst of piercing military trumpets. The trumpeters on the ships of the Japanese mobile unit blew the "All Up" with full strength, and the sleep of the last night of peace came to an end. Sleeping pilots quickly rolled over — some of them up all night because of excitement. The time for a decisive battle is coming. They each tied a "thousand needle belt" symbolizing auspiciousness, left a small bag containing hair, nails, and a suicide note, and then went to the ship's shrine to pay respects, which was an indispensable procedure before the war. Afterwards, they dined together in the restaurant.
This is likely to be the last meal of life, so it seems particularly hearty. The staple food is red bean rice, which can only be eaten during the festival. Because it was so delicious, some people devoured it and did not eat what it tasted like, and some people cherished the rice grains that fell on the table and put them in their mouths. The main course was steamed sea bream, and some poor pilots were eating something so delicious for the first time. After eating one side of the fish, although the other side is equally delicious, no one turns the fish over. For the Navy, the word "turn" is a must-have because it is so tightly associated with the ship that it is an inauspicious symbol to turn the fish over. The last dessert to be served is "chestnuts". Chestnuts are written in Japanese as "Katsuri", pronounced "victory", heralding victory, good luck and good fortune.
On the aircraft carrier "Kaga", the miso soup in the room of the quasi-non-commissioned officer is even more unique. As soon as Morinaga took a bite, he was full of praise: "It's delicious, such a delicious miso soup is the first time I've tasted it." So, the director of the fat pier smiled and said, "Really?" That's great, to celebrate your fight today and let everyone enjoy a delicious miso soup, I use a whole bag of dried sea cucumbers. ”
I don't know who shouted "Long live" first, everyone shouted along, and the people outside also echoed the sound, and the sound of "long live" rose and fell on the cabin and deck.
At 5:25 a.m., the Akagi received a report from the advance submarine I-72: "No American ships have been found at lahaina Berth, northwest of Oahu. Lahaina was the reserve anchorage of the U.S. military in the Hawaiian waters except Pearl Harbor, and Nanyun judged that all the ships of the Pacific Fleet were parked in the harbor, and all the offensive forces of the fleet could be concentrated on Pearl Harbor.
Nevertheless, the details of the location of the U.S. fleet need to be further implemented. At 5:30 a.m., the heavy cruisers Chikuma and Ligan each catapulted a Zero reconnaissance aircraft. Two evil pigeons flew unenducated over Oahu and Lahaina to make a final check of the ship's mooring and meteorological conditions. As the reconnaissance planes faded into the pre-dawn night, the raid on Pearl Harbor finally began.
Please pay a little attention to the captain of the heavy cruise ship "Chikuma", Keizo Daisaku Furumura. At this moment, he ordered the first reconnaissance plane to take off, which was equivalent to pressing the button to start the Pacific War. Three years later, on okinawa, when the battleship Yamato, the last strength of the combined fleet, sank in a near-death attack, Furumura, who had been promoted to major general, was picked up from the sea by sailors and fled back to Japan with the remaining four destroyers. The Japanese Navy, which was once full of glory, has never been out again — and this happens to be another cycle.
Air Force Commander-in-Chief Mizuo Fuchida entered the war room of the Akagi in a flight suit. Fuchida wore red underwear and shirts in his flight suit, so that if he was wounded in the attack, red could hide the wounds and bleeding to the greatest extent possible, and it would not affect the morale of the officers and soldiers. At this moment, he came to the war room to make the final farewell before the battle to the commander of the fleet, Nanyun. On the blackboard of the war room, Yamamoto's patrol is written: The imperial kingdom is rising and destroying in one fell swoop, and all the soldiers must fight with all their might!
"Commander, then we're going." Nan Yun was indebted and simply said, "Well, please!" After saying that, he clasped Fuchida's hands tightly. The lights in the standby room were dim, the narrow room was crowded with pilots, and those who could not squeeze in were crowded outside the door, and even the outdoor aisles were crowded. At this moment, the blackboard on the front of the standby room has marked the location of the "Akagi" - 430 kilometers north of Oahu.
Captain Daisaku Hasegawa stepped down from the bridge. Fuchida immediately shouted a password: "Ritsushi! At the same time, a military salute was given to the captain.
Hasegawa loudly issued the battle order: "Go according to the orders!" The pilots then ran out of the standby room and sped toward their planes.
On the Soryu, pilots lined up on the flight deck near the bridge. Yamaguchi was a final inspiration to the pilots who were about to embark on their journey. Yamaguchi's words were equally simple: "I wish you success." At this point, it seems that all words are superfluous.
The waves are large, the wind speed reaches 17 meters per second, and the inclination of the hull reaches 11 to 16 degrees. If it exceeds 5 degrees, the flight will be canceled. However, no matter how much it is tilted today, as long as the ship does not overturn, it will take off. Raise soldiers for a thousand days, and use soldiers for a while. It's time to test the skills of these pilots. Fuchida walked over to his command plane, the only three-seater, with a specially marked red and yellow paint on the tail that looked particularly conspicuous.
Except for those who were really inseparable from their jobs, the rest of the sailors on board were allowed to climb to the deck to witness this historic moment. Almost everyone came to give the pilots to march, and even the medic commander, who rarely appeared in normal times, came to the deck. A mechanic approached, holding a special head cloth belt with two large red words written on it - "Victory". He approached Fuchida, "This is a little bit of our ground staff, please accept it." Remember, while we can't go to war, we're fighting with you! ”
Holding back the tears that were about to fall, Fuchida bowed deeply to the mechanic. Then he took the cloth belt, tied it tightly to his flight cap, and resolutely turned and boarded the plane.
The pilots boarded the cabin and began to close their eyes and take a deep breath. Everyone was silently praying, hoping that the attack would go well, and hoping that they would come back alive.
At 5:50 a.m. when the East was about to turn white, all the aircraft carriers began to turn in unison and turn in the direction of the headwind. At this time, the sea surface blew a wind speed of 13 meters per second. On the main mast of the Akagi, the "Z" battle flag was whistling.
"Take off!" The blue signal light in the command post that instructed take-off made a large arc, and the fighters in front of it began to take off. It is 1:30 a.m. Tokyo time on December 8, 6 a.m. Hawaii time on the 7th, and 11:30 a.m. Washington time on the 7th. Everyone wanted to be the first to go into battle. Before the signal flag fell, he led the "Kaga"
Captain Shuyu Shiga of the fighter group— the amateur painter — motioned for a ground crew to take the wedge-shaped mat under his wheels, then flew off the deck with a roar, falling sharply to an altitude of less than 5 meters above the sea, turning the plane to the left and pulling up the nose. Captain Shiga, who had been very excited, was a little frustrated, and he found that Shigeru Itaya of the Akagi was already in the air a few seconds before him, and this guy had taken off without waiting for the signal of the ship's flag bearer. I thought the first became the second, I knew it, I would have been a few seconds ahead of me.
As the first aircraft successfully took off, there was a long-lasting cheer on the deck. The first attack team had 49 horizontal bombers, 40 torpedo attack aircraft, 50 dive bombers and 43 fighters, a total of 182 aircraft flying from six aircraft carriers one after another. When a Zero fighter jet unfortunately crashed into the sea, a destroyer quickly sailed over and rescued the pilot from the cold waters. In just 15 minutes, all the aircraft completed the take-off and air formation. Please remember this time. Later, you can compare how poor the fledgling American pilots were in the Battle of Midway.
It was the fastest ever large group takeoff formation. The group crawled out of the clouds under the leadership of Fuchida,
All the aircraft flew in formation around the aircraft carrier in a large arc. At about 6:20 a.m., Fuchida led his high-altitude bomber fleet to the bow of the Akagi, and everyone on the deck was very excited, waving their arms, hats, and flags to send off the pilots. On many people's faces, tears were flowing freely along the sweat-soaked faces. Under the eyes of everyone, one fighter plane after another flew south with a brilliant morning glow.
Seeing the formation of aircraft gradually disappear into the distant sky, Nanyun and Grass Deer, who had been standing on the bridge, finally breathed a sigh of relief. At this time, the two reconnaissance planes that had been released earlier sent back reconnaissance reports one after another.
The report sent back by the "Chikuma" reconnaissance plane said that there were 9 battleships in Pearl Harbor, 1 heavy cruiser, 6 light cruisers, few clouds over Oahu, and extremely clear skies over Pearl Harbor. The Reconnaissance Plane "Ligan" also sent back a report over Lahaina that there was no trace of the enemy ship. After the report was completed, the two reconnaissance planes continued to conduct large-scale reconnaissance southwards as planned, trying to find the Us aircraft carrier that was not in the harbor. But their reconnaissance was in the wrong direction, and Halsey, west of Oahu, and his carrier formation Enterprise escaped.
The news sent back by the Reagan reconnaissance plane made Nanyun and Caolu mixed, and both of them felt that this was good, but they felt a little regretful. The Lahaina Anchorage, northwest of Oahu, a frequent mooring ground used by the Pacific Fleet, is an open anchorage so deep that it would be difficult to salvage u.S. ships if they were sunk here. The mobile unit has developed a special plan of attack on Lahaina for this purpose, which now seems to be useless.
"It's a pity that the aircraft carrier is not there." On one side, Genda is still worried that there is no trace of the US aircraft carrier. "Dude, you are engaged in aviation professionals, of course, pay special attention to aircraft carriers." It is good that those 3 aircraft carriers can return, but if you get rid of all 9 battleships, it is also very good! Chief Staff Officer Oishi said with a smile.
Telegrams from submarines and reconnaissance aircraft indicated that, in addition to the carriers, the capital ships of the U.S. Pacific Fleet were all inside Pearl Harbor. Without waiting for Commander Nanyun to speak, Kusaka immediately issued an order: "Quickly send the above news to Fuchida Nakasa!" ”
"It was the happiest telegram I've ever received in my life." Grass Deer recalled after the war. On the distant Nagato, Ugaki also wrote in the "Battle Algae Record": "We all stretched our necks and waited for this day, what a big drama, betting on the fate of a country and the lives of so many people!" ”
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" > mysterious part fourteen message</h1>
Nanyun and Kusanagi were too busy to touch the deck, and there was no idleness on the Tokyo side. During this time, the slightly more relaxed became Nomura and Laiqi in Washington. On December 1, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tokyo sent a telegram to Nomura: The situation is deteriorating, and in order not to cause too many doubts in the United States, the US-Japan negotiations will ostensibly continue. On December 2, Tokyo called Nomura again, instructing him to "destroy the cipher machine, the codification book, and the cocode abbreviation except for what is specially designated for preservation."
Tokyo is also making final preparations for the coming war. At a December 4 liaison meeting between the Cabinet and the Base Camp, Foreign Minister Maude Togo proposed that a final memorandum should be submitted to the United States before the offensive began, informing the suspension of diplomatic negotiations. For Togo's proposal, Sugiyama Moto and Nagano Wereu were slightly embarrassed, because the offensive operations on Pearl Harbor and Malaya were launched suddenly under the premise of secrecy. Togo believes that an undeclared war that violates international practice will bring the greatest shame to Japan and is inconsistent with Japan's status as a great power. The meeting finally decided that in the shortest possible time before the start of the offensive, Yunomura would notify the United States to stop the negotiations, so that the other side would not have time to react in time, and the note would be drafted by Togo Shigeru. The issuance and delivery of the memorandum was decided by Togo Maude in consultation with the Army and Navy Headquarters. The meeting also identified the main elements to be prepared for the submission of a final note to the United States.
Subsequently, according to the specific battle plan, Ito proposed that a note should be submitted to the United States at 12:30 noon Washington time on December 7. Tojo and Togo feared that if the time was too tight, the note might be submitted after the attack had been launched, and that it would be completely meaningless. After Nagano and Ito patted their chests and made assurances, the time problem was also passed.
Within the Navy, Yamamoto insisted on submitting documents to the United States before the war broke out, despite strong opposition from some officers to give warnings to the other side before the war broke out. When he soon marched to Kyoto to meet Hirohito, he specifically suggested to Nagano and Ito that they must submit a final notice of cessation of negotiations to the Us side before attacking Pearl Harbor.
On December 5, just as foreign ministry officials were carefully drafting a note to the United States, Ito suddenly arrived uninvited. Since the Army's Deputy Chief of Staff, Moritake Tanabe, was not in Tokyo, Ito was accompanied by Chief of Operations Shinichi Tanaka.
Ito told Togo that the time for submitting the note must be postponed for another half an hour to 13:00. At 13:00 Washington time, it happened to be 7:30 a.m. Hawaii time, 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of Yamamoto's attack on Pearl Harbor. Dongxiang: "Why postpone the time?" Ito: "Nagano's previous calculation was wrong. ”
Dongxiang: "How much is the difference between the time of the note submission and the specific attack time?" Ito: "This is a combat secret, and I can't tell you about it for the time being." Looking at Togo Momoku, whose face was like a pig's liver, Ito also felt that it was really a little uninteresting, and seemed a little too cruel. But he assured Togo that there was enough time left to deliver the note to the other party—no one expected that in the end it was precisely the lack of time that caused a big joke. Before leaving, Ito repeatedly warned Togo Shigetoku not to inform the other party prematurely, because this was a matter of life and death in Japan. Ito did not survive the war, and he became the funerary of the Yamato during the final near-death attack. But after Pearl Harbor, he once said, "I'm sorry our time is too tight."
Togo handed over the final draft of the note to Hull, together with the instructions to the Embassy in the United States, to Kazuo Kameiyama, chief of the Telecommunications Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and instructed him to send the contents of the instructions to the Japanese Embassy in the United States at 8 a.m. Washington time on December 6, and then send the first thirteen parts of the note one hour after the instructions arrived. For the sake of confidentiality, the last part of the note, the fourteenth part of the note announcing the termination of the talks, was sent at 16 or 17:00 on 6 December.
According to Director Kameyama, communications between Tokyo and Washington have been working well. But to prevent a malfunction that may never have happened, he decided to set aside some spare time. At 8:30 a.m. on the 6th, he first sent out the instructions to the embassy, and an hour later issued the first thirteen parts of the official notice. In the afternoon, he issued the crucial fourteenth part, and half an hour later issued a final instruction to Raisu and Nomura: ordering them to accurately submit all fourteen parts to the U.S. government at 13:00 Washington time on December 7. This last sentence is the famous "13 o'clock notification call".
Nomura and Raisu first received telegram No. 901 as an instruction from Chief Kameyama:
1. The Government of Japan has decided to reply to the United States in the form of a separate Memorandum no. 902 to the United States in response to the proposal made by the United States on 26 November (i.e., the Hull Memorandum).
2. Due to the length of message 902, it will be sent in fourteen parts. Shoot thirteen parts first, and shoot the last part single shot. 3. Regarding the time of submission of the memorandum to the United States, a separate telegram will be notified.
Subsequently, they received the first thirteen parts of the note submitted to Hull. This important document begins by stating that "it is the eternal policy of the Japanese Government to ensure stability in East Asia and promote world peace so that all countries can enjoy their own place in the world." Then there was a series of accusations and insults against the United States, Britain, and The United States, the main contents of which included:
I. Since the "China Incident," the Japanese Government has been working hard to restore peace and trying not to allow the war to widen "because the Chinese side has failed to grasp Japan's true intentions," while the United States and Britain have "supported the Chongqing Government by any means," aided and abetted the abuse, and interfered in Japan's "constructive efforts to stabilize Asia."
The United States and Britain deliberately misinterpreted Japan's actions in French Indochina and severed economic ties with Japan. While adopting this hostile attitude, it has also strengthened its preparations for war and completed its strategic encirclement of Japan, creating an unfavorable situation that threatens Japan's survival and security. Throughout the Japan-U.S. negotiations, Japan has always held a "fair and restrained attitude" and "made all possible concessions, no matter how difficult it is," however, the U.S. government has never shown the slightest spirit of reconciliation.
Third, the "Hull Memorandum" of the United States is simply "utopian" to prevent Japan from fulfilling its obligations under the Trilateral Pact when the United States enters the European war, and the Japanese Government absolutely cannot agree to this.
The U.S. government flaunts its opposition to the use of force to settle international disputes, but it is using economic means to persecute Japan, which is "sometimes more brutal than military pressure." Historical facts have proved that for hundreds of years or more, some countries in East Asia have been forced to follow the status quo under the control of the exploitative policies of British and American imperialism, and have been sacrificing themselves for the prosperity of these two countries.
The United States ignored the sacrifices made by Japan in the four years of the "China Incident", and the American proposal threatened the survival of Japan itself, ruined its honor and prestige, and purely catered to the wishes of the Chongqing regime.
In the evening, the ciphers went to a farewell banquet for an official from the embassy who was transferred to South America after work. They translated only the first eight parts of the message. Since the telegram was extremely confidential and not suitable for typists, Okumura decided to print it himself. After playing the telegram, he went to the recreation hall in the basement to rest, where he and the reporter Kato Masato, who was playing table tennis, bet $1 on whether "Tatsuda Maru" would arrive in the United States.
The U.S. "Magic" system quickly deciphered the instructions given to Nomura by the Tokyo Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was Telegram 901, and submitted it to the War Department at 14:00. At 15:00, this extremely important telegram reached Secretary of State Hull. Hull immediately realized that the Japanese were about to have a showdown.
At 20:30 on December 6, the Magic system was once again threatened, and both the U.S. Department of the Army and the Navy received and deciphered the messages submitted to parts one through thirteen of the U.S. note.
It is often seen that some sources say that the Japanese military does not pay enough attention to intelligence work, which is not completely accurate, but it is not enough attention to the US military. Before the war, there were 230 people in the U.S. Naval Intelligence Agency alone, all of whom were elite selected from naval officers. There are only 79 people in the intelligence department of the Japanese Naval Command, and these personnel are discriminated against in the navy, and even they laugh at themselves that their department is a "garbage dump for third-rate officers." Whoever is transferred to the Intelligence Department cries and mourns, because this often indicates that the future is hopeless. Another obvious phenomenon is that the "Navy" and "Haidai", the cradles of the growth of Japanese naval officers, have not set up similar intelligence training courses, and most of the intelligence personnel are recruited from foreign language experts, signal soldiers and medical personnel. With the exception of a few people, such as ministers who were transferred from outside, most had no experience in artillery, lightning strikes, navigation or aviation. Another special phenomenon is that after 1930, the heads of The Japanese intelligence services, without exception, were all pro-German and anti-American elements, including Naobu Nomura, Katsuo Abe, Keijun Oka, minoru Maeda, and so on. Personal aversion definitely influences their judgment of the information they have accessed. In the Pacific War, the United States had the upper hand in intelligence warfare. However, this time, the 230 professional players from the Class in the United States really lost to the 79 half-way monks in Japan.
Colonel Rufus Bratton, with his thick beard, was very shrewd and capable, and he was the Head of the Far East Division of the War Department's Intelligence Service. Since he became director in 1941, his main responsibility has been to take charge of Japan's affairs, and he has shown a keen interest in all things related to Japan. His interest lies in the fact that, as a scholar and soldier, he spent three long semesters in Japan. He has studied Japanese history and customs, and he is very good at listening, writing and speaking Japanese.
The stakes are high, and there is no need to hesitate or delay. To report the situation to Brigadier General Sherman Myers, the chief of the Army Intelligence Bureau, Bratton immediately called Miles' home. Miles was at the home of Colonel Diodore Wilkinson, the director of naval intelligence—both Miles and Wilkinson were members of the Twelve Apostles and had access to diplomatic telegrams deciphered by the Magic system. The man who answered the phone at Miles' house replied that he did not know where the general had gone. So Bratton asked the person who answered the phone to remember to relay to the general, no matter how late he returned home, to hang up a phone to Bratton's house, and remember to remember. ——It seems that not having a mobile phone is really a delay!
Bratton then hung up the phone to explain the situation to Brigadier General Jerro, the director of the Battle Planning Bureau, who was also a member of the Twelve Apostles. Bratton believed that while Jerro and Wilkinson were equally powerless to give orders, Marshall's chief of staff was likely to come to them to discuss countermeasures.
"I'm tired, you can take over the following work, you don't leave the office, if you receive part fourteen telegrams, call me immediately." Bratton made this account to Lieutenant Colonel Duzenbury, Deputy Director of the Far East Division, and left the office.
On the way home, Colonel Bratton also made a trip to the State Department, handing over to the duty officer a locked briefcase of confidential documents containing the deciphered parts of the first to thirteenth parts of the cables. The Colonel instructed him that this was "a telegram of great importance to the Secretary of State" and asked him to give it to Secretary of State Hull early the next morning.
After 23:00, Brigadier General Miles actually called when he returned home from the dinner. Bratton, who had already rested, was called up. Miles said by phone that the first thirteen parts of the telegram, which he had read at Wilkinson's house, "had little military significance" and therefore did not deserve particular concern, and that there was "no reason to issue a guard order or set up a night shift." Finally, the Director said that it could be set aside for the time being and waited for the message from Part XIV to arrive.
"Are you going to send a telegram to General Marshall?" Bratton asked. Miles hesitated for a moment, then replied, "The telegram has not yet been deciphered by Qihe, and it is so late that there is no need to alarm or wake General Marshall anymore." Just like that, the two rested separately, and Miles didn't even plan to go to the office the next day.
In fact, Marshall did not rest at this time, but attended a dinner party in the university club just a stone's throw away from the White House. It was a gathering of veterans of the "World War I" Reserve Officer Training Corps, and Marshall, as the main guest, was undoubtedly the protagonist, and he was receiving a toast from everyone, and everyone was proud and proud of the presence of such a prominent person in his companions.
Around the same time, Rear Admiral Henry Arnold, deputy chief of staff and commander of the Army Aviation Corps, was on his way to Hamilton Airport, California, to supervise the inspection of the 12 B-17 bombers on a transfer flight. The plane will take off at night, with the first stop in Hawaii, the next stop at Wake Island and the philippines. MacArthur in Manila was waiting for them to arrive. Arnold, who arrived there at midnight, warned the crew of the "flying fortresses" that they were likely to be "in trouble somewhere along the route." But what was on his mind at the moment was not Pearl Harbor, but the possibility that the planes might be attacked by Japanese troops as they flew through the Vicinity of the Truk Islands. Arnold told everyone that the United States and Japan were likely to go to war soon, and he did not expect that it would be only a dozen hours later.
On the morning of December 6, Naval Intelligence personnel were also preparing for a weekend break. Mrs. Eders, the new translator, is cleaning up the telegrams that Magic intercepted with the words "Pending." Having only been with the Intelligence Service for a few weeks, she was fresh about everything here, and only she would be interested in the old cables that everyone had ignored. She found a telegram from Tokyo sent from Tokyo to The Consul General in Honolulu, Nagao Kita, asking about the movements of U.S. ships in Pearl Harbor, anti-torpedo nets, and blocking balloons. She also found that another December 3 telegram sent by Kita to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tokyo mentioned information about the activities of the U.S. fleet in Pearl Harbor. Despite being a novice, Mrs. Eders became suspicious with her sixth sense. She told her boss Bryant of her suspicions.
Bryant told her that it was already the weekend and that these things would be talked about until next Monday. But Mrs. Eders, who was very responsible, did not let go, working overtime at noon and finishing translating the telegram at 5 p.m. It was at this moment that The Chief of the Translation Service, Major Alvin Kramer, came to check on the duty, and he set aside the materials translated by Mrs. Eders and urged her to hurry off work: "Deal with this telegram again on Monday." The Luck of the Japanese was so good that the telegram was once again placed in the "reserved" basket of documents.
Major Kramer is like this because he has more important things to do. He was busy deciphering the long diplomatic telegram and was also in charge of delivering the documents. Busy at this point, he was thinking about how to distribute the first thirteen parts of the deciphered cable that night, including the White House and the Admiralty, in addition to the president, as well as Secretary of the Navy Knox, Chief of naval operations Stark, Director of naval operations Turner, director of the Naval Operations Planning Bureau, and Wilkinson, director of the Naval Intelligence Bureau. In the evening, Kramer and find Stark and Turner. Stark is watching a play at the State Opera, and Turner has many shepherd dogs, and is now walking outside with one of them in his arms. Kramer found Wilkinson, who was hosting a dinner party at home, on the phone, and to prevent the phone from being tapped, he told him briefly the main content of the first thirteen parts in black words. Wilkinson instructed him to send the telegram to the White House first, then a copy to Knox, and finally a copy to his house.
From time to time Kramer looked anxiously out the window. At 21:00 p.m., his wife would drive to pick him up. Before the agreed 21:00, Kramer came out of his office and waited anxiously at the mouth of the naval department. When his watch showed 21:20, his wife hurried in with an old Chevrolet sedan.
"Why did you arrive so late?" Hurry up and drive to the White House. Cremmer complained and gave orders to his wife, considering that President Roosevelt should be the first to see the telegram.
The car stopped in front of the White House, And Mr. Kramer jumped out of the car with a briefcase carrying confidential documents, while his wife waited for him outside. When Kramer rang the bell at the White House gate, it was already 21:30 on December 6. Since The President's Adjutant of the Navy, Colonel Biador, had also gone to dinner at Wilkinson's house, Kramer had to hand over a sealed briefcase to Lieutenant Robert Hurtz, who was on duty, in the mailroom of the office building near the White House, and the lieutenant was the president's assistant to the Navy adjutant. The briefcase contained thirteen parts of the telegram that had just been deciphered.
When Hughes arrived in the Oval Office, President Roosevelt was having a cordial and friendly conversation with his "girlfriend" Hopkins. Hopkins, like Roosevelt, was in poor health, and some time ago he traveled between Europe and the United States as Roosevelt's special representative, meeting With Mr. Churchill in London today and going to Moscow tomorrow to meet Stalin. Hopkins, who had been on a long trip for many days, fell ill when he returned to the United States, just a few days after being discharged from the hospital. The president told Hopkins that he would like to retire to Florida, where he would enjoy his old age fishing and studying.
Hurz went into the office, opened the briefcase that had been passed on confidential documents with the key that Villador had given him, took out the documents and placed them on the table in front of the president, and then stood quietly aside.
Roosevelt read the first thirteen parts of the Japanese memorandum to the United States in one sitting, and then handed the document to Hopkins, who was slowly pacing back and forth, "that means that war is about to break out soon."
Hopkins sat down, read the document, and then told the president, "Agree with you." Japan wanted to attack at the time when everything was best for it, but unfortunately we couldn't fire the first shot. ”
Roosevelt nodded in agreement. "Yes, the United States must not shoot the first shot. We are a democracy, a peace-loving people," Roosevelt seemed to raise his voice a little, "and we have a glorious history." Roosevelt had wanted to call Admiral Stark over to talk. White House telephone operators said General Stark was watching "The Student Prince" at the National Opera and could call the general to the White House by hanging up the phone. Roosevelt realized that there was nothing new in the first thirteen sections of Tokyo's final communiqué, and that if the waiter went to the theater in search of General Stark, and the general suddenly got up and left his seat, he would immediately attract attention because of his special status, which could lead to unnecessary panic. At the same time, Roosevelt also felt that it was not reasonable to disturb Stark during his weekend leisure time, so he dispelled this not very strong idea.
After putting the phone down, Roosevelt told Hopkins, "Call Betty later." I don't want to alarm the public by calling him out of the theater and can wait a while to find him. ”
Later, at a congressional hearing on the Pearl Harbor fact-findings, Lieutenant Hughes said that President Roosevelt used the term "Betty" when addressing Admiral Stark, and that he had not spoken to Hull, Knox, Stimson, or Marshall on the phone since.
Admiral Stark, chief of naval operations, spent his last quiet night. "The Student Prince" didn't seem to be very exciting, and it didn't leave much of an impression on his mind, so much so that he couldn't remember what he was doing that night at the hearing about Pearl Harbor. In Stark's judgment, all indications are that the Japanese are likely to start from Malaya and Singapore, or the Philippines, Guam or Wake Island, or even the Panama Canal, and the safest place besides the United States is Hawaii. Stark believed that the joint defense plan of the Navy and The Army to protect Pearl Harbor from a sudden air raid was detailed and elaborate, and he had previously requested that the plan submitted by Kimmel and Schott be sent as a model to the commanders of the remaining military districts for their reference.
After handing the papers to Lieutenant Hurz, Kramer hurried out of the White House and drove his wife to the Wardman Parkers Hotel. The Secretary of the Navy began to study the thirteen-part telegram sent, and Kramer spoke with Mrs. Knox and the Minister's guest, Mr. and Mrs. Orkes. Deeply anxious about the contents of the telegram and the ominous meaning of the fourteenth part, which he had not yet seen, Knox immediately called Stimson and Hull and proposed to them an agreement with them to hold a joint emergency meeting at 10 a.m. the next day.
At the time, Secretary of war Stimson was in his own private villa. He had decided to vacation to Long Island for the weekend, but later terminated the operation. In his diary, Stimson wrote: "The whole atmosphere indicates that something is likely to happen. ”
Weekends are a great time for leisure and entertainment. On December 7, 1941, when a red sun rose slowly from the horizon, Washington was still in a peaceful and quiet sleep. Only the Army Intelligence Service, which was responsible for deciphering Japanese diplomatic telegrams, was busy as usual. By 7:15 a.m., they had deciphered the end of the ultimatum of the Japanese government in Washington, D.C., which had been intercepted and transmitted by the Naval Radio Station on Bainbridge Island, and the fourteenth part of the important telegram, after a lengthy argument, said: "It is clear that the intention of the United States Government is to conspire with Britain and other countries to obstruct Japan's efforts to establish peace by building a greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, and in particular to use the continuation of the Sino-Japanese war to safeguard the interests of Britain and the United States." This intention has been clearly exposed in the current negotiation process. Therefore, the sincere desire of the Japanese Government to maintain and promote peace in the Pacific region by cooperating with the United States Government has finally come to naught. The Government of Japan is compelled to inform the United States Government that, in view of the attitude adopted by the United States Government, the Imperial Government cannot but consider that a final agreement cannot be reached even if negotiations continue in the future. ”
The Japanese note did not say what would happen after the negotiations broke down, but it was full of hostility and provocation. There is no doubt that Japan has decided to use force at this time.
The Communications and Espionage Service of the Naval Intelligence Bureau immediately deciphered the "13:00 notification telegram" intercepted at 4:36 a.m., instructing Nomura and Laiqi to "please formally submit our government's reply to the U.S. government at 13:00 Washington time on December 7, and if possible, please submit it to Secretary of State Hull.", and the cable finally stressed, "After destroying the remaining password machines in the embassy."
Major Kramer, who was still at home, soon received a call from Colonel Bratton, Director of the Far East Division: "Listen, Kramer, the situation is like this, in the final fourteenth part of the telegram, it is proposed that negotiations with us will be terminated, and it is finally written that the Japanese government has instructed Nomura and Laiqi to submit the reply of the Japanese government to the United States government at 13:00 on December 7, Washington time. Speaking of this, the two paused slightly on the phone. People who engage in intelligence tend to have a very keen sixth sense, and they all realize that this sentence seems to have some meaning. Kramer quickly realized something, and he immediately reminded: "13:00 Washington time, which means that Pearl Harbor is 7:30 a.m., and December 7 happens to be Sunday." ”
Bratton: "Yes, Pearl Harbor is Sunday at 7:30 a.m., what are your thoughts on this issue?" "Kramer, who had worked at Pearl Harbor for two years, knew it was time for sailors to have breakfast on Sunday, and it was indeed the time when the precautions were most lax." At 7:30 a.m. on Sunday morning, I realized that there was a possibility that the enemy would attack Pearl Harbor," he said after telling Bratton of his thoughts. Hanging up the phone, Kramer immediately drove to the unit. Bratton called directly to the apartment of Chief of Staff Marshall in Fort Myers. Answering the phone was Sergeant Agaia, the chief of staff's attendant: "This is the residence of the Chief of Staff, and unfortunately, His Excellency the Chief of Staff is not at home, he is currently in the place where he often goes. ”
Because Commissioner Miles was afraid to disturb the leader's dreams, Admiral Marshall was still ignorant of what had happened the previous day, and he had not even seen the first thirteen parts of the telegram. This morning, he was as usual in the morning 6
He got up at 30 minutes and then had breakfast with his wife, the first time he had been reunited with her in a week. After the meal, he rode on his beloved horse and led a white-haired black-spotted dog to a pleasant walk on the grass of Arlington Park. Through the park's trees, you can hear the hymns and melodious organ sounds from the nearby churches.
An impatient Bratton clutched the microphone and shouted, "Hey! Sergeant, you listen to me! The situation is extremely urgent, please go and get the chief of staff back immediately, and ask him to hang up the phone with me. ”
At the same time, Stark was also walking leisurely in the courtyard of his apartment. Stark is in a slightly better situation than Marshall, who was informed of the first thirteen parts of Japan's ultimatum last night, but he still hasn't canceled his morning walk. It wasn't until 10 a.m. that Stark arrived at the Admiralty's office.
At this moment, Major Kramer, who delivered the "magic" information, and Lieutenant Colonel McCallum, director of the Far East Division of the Naval Intelligence Bureau, entered the minister's office and handed over the fourteenth part of the deciphered Japanese government memorandum to the United States, along with the "13 o'clock notification telegram." While Stark was reading the telegrams, Deputy War Secretary Ingersoll, Intelligence Director Wilkinson, Secretary of Communications Noyce, and others came to the Minister's Office.
McCallum, who had long believed that Japan's main offensive would be the southern region, said: "Judging from the telegram sent by Major Kramer just now, it seems that Japan will soon launch an attack on the South China Sea. ”
Wilkinson stressed: "The Japanese government also instructed Ambassador Nomura to send this telegram to the U.S. government within the time specified in advance. ”
Stark seemed to have an ominous premonition and seemed a little anxious. He said coldly, "Mr. Wilkinson, I already know, it's 13 o'clock, right?" ”
Wilkinson nodded as he said, "Yes, it's 13 o'clock." We compared all the places at this point in time, and it was 7.30 a.m. on Sunday in Pearl Harbor, and I felt that there seemed to be something suspicious about it. Stark looked around, and several people seemed to agree with Wilkinson' point, and they all stared solemnly at the minister. Seeing that Stark had not said a word for half a day, Wilkinson gathered enough courage to continue to suggest: "Now, should you immediately contact General Kimmel by telephone?" There was a solemnity in the office, and everyone watched as Stark's hand slowly reached for the telephone. Although he picked up the microphone at one point, he hesitated for a moment and then put it down again. It's 10:15 a.m. Washington time, 4:45 a.m. Hawaiian time, and an hour and a half before sunrise. Stark put down the phone for four reasons:
First, it is a sin to interrupt General Kimmel's dream before dawn, which is not in keeping with Western etiquette.
Second, the supreme authorities in Washington should not order and urge commanders on the ground to "do this" or "not do that" on some tactical details, which is an extreme distrust of subordinates.
Third, the "war alert" sent to Kimmel on November 27 was enough to keep the Pacific Fleet on alert. Fourth, the focus of the Japanese is on the southern region, pearl harbor, and the Japanese cannot go there, nor dare they.
Later, at a hearing about Pearl Harbor, Stark was asked why he didn't call Kimmel on the morning of Dec. 7. Stark said: "The phone call was purely an afterthought for me, and as for what was wrong with me, it was that I didn't make a greater effort to make them vigilant, and this regret was looking for a conscience that I could have done but didn't." ”
After putting down the phone, Stark picked up the telegram sent by Kramer again, shook his head, and said, "The phone is still not hanging up." Before that, I would like to consult with Mr. President and ask you to go back for the time being. Everyone stood up and walked out of the minister's office with a somewhat dissatisfied look.
Roosevelt didn't want to disturb Stark's yaxing, and Stark didn't want to disturb Kimmel's early morning return, they were both knowledgeable and polite gentlemen. But the "gentleman" was too timely, and this "gentleman" lost thousands of lives in Pearl Harbor, and the "gentleman" lost a powerful fleet.
Stark immediately contacted the White House telephone switchboard. The line used by the president replied that it was "on the phone." As a result, the Navy's head of navy in Washington did not directly ask the Commander of the Pacific Fleet, Kimmel, and others to take any measures in response to the warnings from the "magic" side this morning.
After Pearl Harbor, an angry American people demanded a thorough investigation of those responsible, in addition to Kimmel and Short being removed from office, the people also needed to have big people to take charge, and this unlucky egg was Stark. In March 1942, Stark was relieved of his post as Chief of Naval Operations and replaced by Admiral Ernest King. Stark, who has always been pro-British, was then transferred to the commander of the U.S. Navy in European waters and president Roosevelt's personal military representative in London, which is not a small official but has nothing major to do, to put it bluntly, it is an idle post, and it is also a black pot for Roosevelt and Knox.
Marshall, who was similar to Stark's mistake, was much luckier. Not only did he not have any farts, but he also worked as the chief of staff of the army until the end of the war, and won the Nobel Peace Prize for the "Marshall Plan" implemented after the war, which can be described as fame and fortune. Even Admiral King said after the war: "I have never been able to understand how Roosevelt could, or why, he could fire Admiral Stark instead of General Marshall." In my opinion, they are equally suspicious. This can also be interestingly compared to MacArthur and Kimmel: the same in high office, equally defeated, one falling into hell and the other ascending to heaven.
The Army is doing a little better than the Navy. Colonel Bratton had "sternly ordered" the attendant, Sergeant Agaia, to hurry up and find the chief of staff and ask Marshall to call him back immediately. But Agaia searched for half a day, but never found the chief of staff on that familiar route.
On this day, Marshall was very excited, riding a horse for 20 minutes more than usual, and fiddling around the winding paths of Rock Creek Park, and Agaia must not have been able to find it with her legs at the usual distance. The chief of staff also rode excitedly to the government's experimental farm, where construction had just begun. More than a year later, Marshall would move here with his brothers. This building is already famous today, the Pentagon. When Marshall returned to the apartment after a good time, Agaia relayed Bratton's words to him, and it was already 10:28.
Marshall hung up a call to Bratton. Unaware of even the first thirteen parts of the message, Bratton had no choice but to briefly introduce the Chief of Staff on the phone all fourteen parts of the "magic" deciphered message and the "13 o'clock notification telegram". Considering that the chief of staff might have hung up somewhere in the middle of the road—it seemed that there was no caller ID at the time—Bratton went on to say, "Now shall I drive to where the general hung up his phone and bring you the telegram to see for yourself?" ”
Marshall replied, "No, you don't need to worry so much, you'll see me when I get to the office." Bratton estimated that marshall would be in office in 10 or 15 minutes, so during this time he waited for the chief of staff in the corridor of the organ building with the information, but the chief of staff did not come. The big man Marshall is not so anxious, today is in high spirits, walked a little longer, a little tired and sweaty. He first took a shower in his apartment, slowly changed his clothes, and then sent someone to drive the car parked in the quartermaster building on the other side of the river before driving to the office. Bratton, who was impatient to wait, had already run to the steps at the gate. Hoping for the stars and the moon, finally looking forward to the chief of staff, Bratton raised his wrist to look at his watch, and the time was past 11 a.m.
Marshall was unaware of the developments of the situation since last night, and he had to start from scratch with a fourteen-part Japanese ultimatum. Bratton, who was already in a frenzy, advised the Chief of Staff to look first at the two copies received today, namely Part XIV and the "13 o'clock notification telegram." But Marshall didn't heed Bratton's advice, and looked at the first part in turn – Eggplant Boy You know an eggplant!
Almost the same as in the Navy, leaders such as Jerro, director of the Battle Planning Bureau, and Miles, director of the Intelligence Bureau, also entered the chief of staff's office. Marshall began to ask them for advice one by one.
"How do you feel after watching this '13 o'clock notification call'? According to this telegram, what judgment should be made of the situation? ”
It was agreed that the cable showed that Japan appeared to have an intention to launch an attack on the southern region or somewhere in the Pacific at or shortly after 13:00.
Marshall seemed determined: "Gentlemen, I am sure that the Japanese army will attack us at 13 o'clock today, or shortly after 13 o'clock, so I have decided to issue an urgent alert order to the whole army. Hearing Marshall's words, Bratton felt a stone in his heart fall to the ground, and he closed his eyes and let out a long breath.
Everyone invariably turned their eyes to the clock on the wall of the Chief of Staff's office: 11 a.m. Washington time
Hours 25 minutes.
Marshall took a note and scrawled a telegram on it with a pencil: "To the commanders of U.S. Army forces in the Philippines, the Panama Canal Zone, Hawaii, and San Francisco, we do not yet know the significance of the deadline, but we must therefore be on full alert from now on." ”
There was a tense and oppressive atmosphere of uneasiness in the office. After writing the message, Marshall hesitated and picked up the phone to hang up with Stark. Marshall, after explaining his drafted message, asked if he could join Stark in issuing a similar warning to the Army and Navy.
Stark, who received Marshall's call, was a little hesitant, and he didn't understand why Marshall was doing this, because he didn't feel the need to renew the warning, which would lead to confusion in the command. But he quickly changed his mind, it was a special period, so even if a warning were issued again, it would not do any harm to the local commander. So Stark told Marshall: "George, I also feel that '13 o'clock' has a special importance, if you can urgently inform, then please order the commander of the army unit,
Incidentally, it was also conveyed to the Navy. He offered to use the Navy's telegraph equipment to send out the alert, because in an emergency it was both fast and reliable.
"Thank you, Betty, no, I think I'll send it out as soon as possible." Putting down the phone, Marshall immediately added the words "Please also tell the naval forces" to the end of the telegram that had been written in pencil. As he handed the telegram to Bratton, he commanded: "Send this telegram to the transmission office and send it to the commanders on the front line in the fastest and safest way." ”
Bratton trotted all the way to the room of Lieutenant Colonel Edward French, the chief of the Communications Section, and demanded that the lieutenant colonel must "send a hundred thousand urgent reports." Although French could roughly read the pencil words on the note paper, he was still unsure of the scrawled words of the chief of staff. In order not to make a mistake, he typed the message out of a typewriter with the help of Bratton.
The telegram, sent to several important areas, was taken at 12:12 p.m. Washington time (6:42 a.m. Hawaiian time, an hour and 13 minutes before the Japanese attack began). Marshall was concerned about whether the telegram had been sent, and he repeatedly ordered an officer to inquire how long it would take for the telegram to arrive. "It's being sent, and it will take about thirty or forty minutes to deliver." Lieutenant Colonel French replied reassuringly.
Army commanders in San Francisco, the Panama Canal, and the Philippines quickly received telegrams, but the Hawaiian line could not be connected. Of course, it was also possible to call Hawaii directly using the Navy radio communications, but Lieutenant Colonel French did not want to use the Navy's equipment. This is our Army's business, why use your Navy equipment? It seems as if our army is very incompetent. It was later learned that the Army's communication line to Oahu had failed at this juncture.
History is so tricky, why are telegrams sent out everywhere for the time being, but the Pearl Harbor line that is about to have an accident has malfunctioned? Half a year later, in Midway, Nanyun sent out 7 reconnaissance planes,
Six of them had no problems, and the seventh reconnaissance plane flew an hour late because of a malfunction. Coincidentally, the 3 aircraft carriers led by Fletcher and Spruance were hiding in this search area! French chose to use western Union facilities that have no direct lines to Honolulu. The telegram was not even marked as "urgent," and instead of going directly to Honolulu, it was shot from Washington by cable telegram to San Francisco, where radio companies were contacted, and then sent by radio telegram to Radio Corporation of America in Honolulu. Once the telegram reached Honolulu, it had to be sent from the Radio Corporation office in the center of the city to the Army Communications Office at Fort Sheft, 8 kilometers away, where it would be contacted by the adjutant's office of the command before it could be delivered to Lieutenant General Schott. Therefore, when Marshall's telegram came to Short after a lot of painstaking efforts, it was already 7 hours and 3 minutes after the Japanese attack began, and the broccoli was not only cold, but also almost delicious. There were also many quick methods of communication, such as the telephone on Marshall's desk, the secret telephone in Marshall's next room, the Navy's shortwave radio and the FBI's shortwave radio for communication with Hawaii, and so on. But why didn't Marshall opt for the faster ones?
There is only one possibility, and that is that God was completely on the side of the Japanese before and after Pearl Harbor. However, his old man did not completely forget the Americans!
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