>> Battle of the Cruiser off British Malaya on 28 June 1921 <<
After about an hour of fighting, the situation was still opaque for Kaigun-daisa Kichisaburō Nomura. The enemy cruisers all made way again. Sometimes they came closer, sometimes they moved away. For the Takao, this was advantageous due to the comparatively long range of the main and secondary artillery. Because the Takao was able to maintain its fire, while the enemy simply acted out of reach of his guns.
Kaigun-daisa Kichisaburō Nomura attributed this to the fact that the enemy had proper respect for the Takao and did not know how to deal with this monster?
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Then the third ship was classified as a heavy cruiser. However, the behavior of this ship also spoke in favor of a light cruiser.
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The impression was not deceiving and the third ship was also a light cruiser of the modern Lalande class. The Takao was built exactly for such a situation. Now Kaigun-daisa Kichisaburō Nomura could prove that he knew how to lead the ship and that the Takao controlled the battle.
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Ten minutes later, the enemy was able to score the first hit on the Takao.
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After a short passing battle, the enemy turned away again. Without intending to, Kaigun-daisa Kichisaburō Nomura had gotten between the enemy ships with the Takao, but the third cruiser kept a respectful distance.
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The French cruisers did not know how to take advantage of their better tactical situation. The Takao, on the other hand, was able to score a series of heavy direct hits on one of the two Lalande-class cruisers.
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From this point on, the enemy seemed to want to break away and Kaigun-daisa Kichisaburō Nomura ordered the approach in order to be able to attack with full force. Of course, this also benefited the enemy!
Kaigun-daisa Kichisaburō Nomura had manoeuvring in order not to fall victim to a torpedo. Whereupon the enemy now followed suit in turn.
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The Takao was clearly superior in terms of artillery, but then there was an unfortunate hit by the enemy cruiser in the mechanics of the forward main gun turret. Tower A was simply not lucky on the Takao.
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Two hours had now passed since the opening of the battle without either side having any significant success to show for it.
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With the failure of the mechanics of the second 9inch turret as well, the Takao now had to rely entirely on the secondary artillery.
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Nevertheless, it was now the Takao who was being hunted!
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Ironically, it was another hit that got the jammed mechanics of the rear turret going again.
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Another half an hour later, all gunners were ready for use again.
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The enemy felt this shortly afterwards! The behavior of the third cruiser, which had always remained out of range so far, remained strange.
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Over the next thirty minutes it was more of a gruff prick, but then the Takao managed several broadsides on the Lalande-class.
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The French began to smoke in, but the Takao kept up the pressure on the enemy!
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A shelling ensued at close range, during which the French cruisers had to take the heavier hits.
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The battle now dragged on for more than four hours and on the Takao the ammunition stock of the main artillery gradually became scarce.
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Despite the latent torpedo threat, Kaigun-daisa Kichisaburō Nomura decided to get closer to the enemy to increase his hit rates. Both cruisers were now in the water with a sideline and minimal speed.
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The enemy also took more hits, but the 4inch and 5inch shells could only cause moderate damage against the armor of the Takao.
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At full risk, the Takao passed the Jean Bart-class cruiser at minimal distance, targeting a full broadside with its own 5inch artillery.
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Almost five hours after the start of the battle, the Lalande-class light cruiser tilted to the side and capsized.
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The ammunition was almost used up and further mechanical problems prevented the use of the towers, which still had ammunition. So Kaigun-daisa Kichisaburō Nomura sneaked around the enemy cruiser with his Takao for almost forty minutes until it finally capsized and sank.
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There was nothing to be seen of the third French cruiser far and wide, but without ammunition it was probably better that way!
In addition, dusk set in and Kaigun-daisa Kichisaburō Nomura ordered home course. At eighteen o'clock darkness engulfed the Takao and the battle could probably be considered over.
At nineteen o'clock, Kaigun-daisa Kichisaburō Nomura noted in the logbook Tower Mechanics!! and he officially declared the battle over.
>> Memorandum of the Kaigun-chūjō Tochinai Sojirō on the cruiser battle off British Malaya 28 June 1921 <<
Distinguished officers and members of the 大本営 (Daihon'ei),
I can inform you that the cruiser Takao has all in all lived up to its requirements. The Takao was able to defeat a numerically superior enemy without being in serious danger themselves.
Nevertheless, the underlying Haguro draft has revealed weaknesses. The most serious circumstance was the dangerous unreliability of the turret mechanism. A problem that the Imperial Japanese Navy has been struggling with for 20 years now. The design department at the Navy headquarters must make it unmistakably clear to the contracted engineers and shipyards that their failure will cost our soldiers their lives.
We can no longer accept that imprecise designs, flawed construction plans and botched shipyards jeopardize the combat capability of our ships.
This must finally be clearly emphasized – this must stop!
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Another problem has turned out to be the too low ammunition stock of the Haguro draft. Of course, the command of Kaigun-daisa Kichisaburō Nomura must be questioned, he may not have been entrusted with a naval command for too long! But if only one other enemy ship had been on site, a more capable commander would have gotten into trouble.
I therefore recommend revising the Haguro draft, if it is the basis for new missions, and increasing the number of shells per gun.
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I conclude the report with the recommendation that the concept of heavily armed long-range trade disruptors be retained and that their area of operation be extended beyond Asian waters. The fleet is ready to take the fight to more remote regions and meet the enemy where he does not expect it, on his own doorstep!
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Thus, the officers of the 軍令部 (Gunreibu) of the Imperial Japanese Navy, the 参謀本部 (Sambō hombu) of the Imperial Japanese Army, and the 海軍省 (Kaigun-shō) may take good note of the prepared and illustrated course of the battle for the cruiser battle off British Malaya on June 28 of that year.
Long live the Rengō Kantai, long live the Imperial Japanese Navy, long live the Emperor!
Kaigun-chūjō Tochinai Sojirō, June 30, 1921
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Extra sheet of the Tōkyō Shinbun from Thursday, June 30, 1921
>> French Cruiser Squadron Sunk! <<
As was announced only today by the Navy, the honorable Kaigun-daisa Kichisaburō Nomura succeeded in sinking a French cruiser squadron with his heavy cruiser Takao two days ago. The Takao itself remained undamaged.
The naval leadership explained that the great success could only succeed because the Takao is one of the most modern and largest ships in the fleet and shatters the morale of the enemy by its mere appearance.
The Takao is now expected to bunker fuel and ammunition in Formosa before setting off again to bring enemy maritime trade to a standstill.
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>> Renewed problems in the Imperial Japanese Navy? <<
As it was also announced today, the Navy has stopped all new buildings that had only been ordered at the beginning of the week. More worrying, however, is the fact that the entire class of the prestigious 海軍大学校 (Kaigun Daigakkō – Naval College) has been exmatriculated and called to the front! What is going on within the navy when even the training of urgently needed junior officers has to be interrupted?
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Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Thursday, June 30, 1921
Osaki Satoshi had more information, but he had ventured very far with the report on the Naval College. He would probably find out today whether he was allowed to get away with it or whether the navy would hold him accountable for it?
Better he didn't take it to the extreme!
The head had the shape of a powerful French fleet squadron, which had been reported to Singapore. Apparently, the Takao had escaped a catastrophe with a lot of luck. Because the three French ships that had crossed their path probably belonged to the vanguard of the French battle squadron.
It was said that no fewer than six modern French battleships had passed through the Strait of Malacca just hours after the cruiser battle and were now on their way to the French possessions. Did that have to do with the termination of the current officer class? Had something already happened? Were the young men urgently needed at the front?
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Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Friday, July 1, 1921
Overnight, it became clearer what the Marine nationale française had intended. It evaded a naval battle in a clever diversionary maneuver aimed at a Japanese convoy and took advantage of the confusion on the Japanese side to rain down a storm of steel on the Japanese invading forces. After that, the French battleships disappeared as suddenly as they had appeared off the coast. The attack on the convoy was a feint, the naval battle intended by Japan did not take place and the soldiers on land paid the price.
France was a different opponent. Not completely inferior like Russia, not arrogant like the Empire, but always trying to get the best out of the situation.
After his article yesterday, the Navy had subtly indicated that it would make the war appear in a better light. He therefore had to wrap the cloak of silence about the nocturnal events.
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Editorial office of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Wednesday, August 03, 1921
The danger of a great naval battle with France was over for the moment. After their coup, most of the large ships had already been reported back to the Indian Ocean. But completely unexpectedly, a battle squadron of the German Empire had appeared in the sea area, and the German ambassador in Tokyo - Wilhelm Heinrich Solf - brought a note from the German Kaiser stating that the German Navy intended to hold maneuvers in Asia.
Nothing could be more insane than a fleet maneuver of German capital ships in a war zone. Behind closed doors, it was rumoured that a Japanese trade disruptor had accidentally sunk a German freighter and that Germany now wanted to protect its interests. There was no further information about this. The navy remained silent.
A simultaneous war against France and Germany was probably also a horror story for the arrogant military in Japan that had to be avoided.
The enemy had run out, that was crystal clear to the Japanese leadership. How could it be otherwise? The Grande Nation simply could not maintain its huge fleet squadron in the bases in the Far East.
Now all that was missing was the blow to the neck and Fort Bayard would fall!
The Navy was to carry out this blow to the neck and sent the battlecruiser Tsukuba for this purpose.
The Tsukuba was the flagship for this mission of Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi, an admiral who had hitherto found his way into his office rather inconspicuously simply because of his age and sufficient achievements. He commanded a rather small squadron, which was structured as follows:
Japanese 5th Battlecruiser Division:
Battlecruiser Tsukuba (flagship)
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Japanese 7th Aircraft Carrier Division:
Ussuri Maru Aircraft Tender
The assignment for Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi was very simple:
Shelling of enemy positions with Tsukuba artillery.
Resistance was not expected, which is why the squadron was rather small. The Tsukuba was escorted by four destroyers, which also applied to the aircraft tender Ussuri Maru. The aircraft of the Ussuri Maru were intended to serve a new purpose. So far, the new naval aviation had been a complete failure and no one expected this to change in a hurry. The existing aircraft were hardly able to hit a moving target.
On this day, the planes were therefore simply to observe and report how effectively the artillery fire fell on the enemy. The planes could probably do that and it was quite easy for the pilots.
In the twilight of August 12, 1921, the squadron of Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi approached its goal and soon met an equal opponent.
Now the Tsukuba could prove whether this 13-year-old ship could continue to defeat an enemy?
Right at the beginning of the battle, Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi also had to learn the peculiarities of flying. The Ussuri Maru turned away for the use of her aircraft, but her escort destroyers stubbornly kept course next to the Tsukuba. This meant that the tender was without an escort. However, hardly anyone was worried, because according to the intelligence services, apart from a number of corvettes, no enemy was to be expected. Should the tender do what was necessary, the destroyers were in good hands with the Tsukuba for the moment.
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Barely ten minutes later, an unknown ship came into view. At least that was a nuisance for Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi, who would have preferred to announce his presence with a volley of his 12-inch guns.
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Quite quickly, the lookout reported that it was a merchant ship, but that it was directly between the Tsukuba and its destination.
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Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi ordered the Japanese 6th Destroyer Flotilla to close the target, identify it and sink it if it was a Frenchman. He hoped that this ship was so old that it had no marine radio equipment on board to warn Fort Bayard. He himself now steered a southward course, at least not to steer directly towards his true goal.
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The destroyer Hakaze opened fire at five o'clock and twenty-five minutes and hit right away!
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Directly afterwards a second ship came into view, which might also be a freighter. Or a guard boat in front of the harbor entrance. At least the opponent was now aware that something was coming his way.
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Then it went blow after blow and sightings three and four were reported. This was now more commercial traffic than could have been expected for a port in the war.
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The next moment everything changed!
Destroyer Yunagi reported a classification as a capital ship, presumably a battlecruiser!
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Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi immediately changed the course of the Tsukuba to the north towards its destroyers. Firstly, he now needed escort and secondly, he could not leave his destroyers to an enemy battlecruiser.
The Tsukuba now had to serve as a target to enable the destroyers to carry out a torpedo attack
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The Frenchman gratefully accepted this and hit the Tsukuba with a broadside at maximum distance. The southern target was now addressed as a light cruiser and was in an excellent position. He could either attempt an unthreatened torpedo attack on the Tsukuba, which was uncovered from this position, or hunt down the aircraft tender, which had to be just out of sight of the light cruiser.
The battlecruiser was identified as a Dunkerque class.
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The battlecruisers of the Dunkerque class were similar in age to the Tsukuba, but with twelve 13-inch and twenty 5-inch guns, they were considerably heavier armed!
In turn, the four destroyers of the Japanese 8th Destroyer Flotilla were state-of-the-art 1,500-ton destroyers, which posed a considerable danger if allowed to attack.
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However, the situation did not improve. A supposed escort destroyer of the French battlecruiser has now been classified as a ship of the line. This might not have been a problem for the Tsukuba, but for the destroyers it meant a lot of extra trouble when running at the battlecruiser.
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But one thing was already certain: Someone had messed up a lot at the secret service!
With some reassurance, the enemy was classified as a corvette in the south. This would probably not pose a great danger to the aircraft tender.
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The classification of the ship of the line has been withdrawn. It now seemed to be a squadron grouped around a battlecruiser, which consisted of a light cruiser and four destroyers. The corvette might have belonged to port security.
Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi steered north-westerly course to have all the guns of the main artillery of the Tsukuba on the enemy. The destroyers were ordered to carry out a torpedo attack.
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Further sightings were received from the north and indeed it had to be recognized that the French fleet had quite modern material in use. This was rarely the case with Japan's previous opponents.
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So far, Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi has not been overly worried. A deafening crash changed this attitude! The Tsukuba received an unfortunate hit directly on the waterline, but there was still no acute danger. At least the French had shown what they were capable of.
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But the Marine nationale franâçaise also seemed to adhere to the tactic of exposing its capital combat ships, which the Japanese now called the "European Battle Doctrine".
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The freighter was considered as it passed by and the French corvettes were clever enough to leave this battle to the "big ones".
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The French escorts had realized their mistake, or rather the squadron commander steered his battlecruiser towards his destroyers!
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However, this reason did not last long! There was now an acute danger that the Japanese destroyers would be surrounded, but they were only too happy to risk this for a torpedo hit on the battlecruiser.
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The fact that the French battlecruiser continued to concentrate on the Tsukuba further increased the chances for the Japanese destroyers.
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However, the defensive efforts of the French escorts were not entirely unsuccessful and the leading Yunagi received a heavy direct hit.
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While the battle had been fought for a long time, the Ussuri Maru was finally able to launch her seaplanes. Whether the observation planes were still needed was a completely different question. After all, the commander of the Ussuri Maru had decided to equip some aircraft for anti-ship engagement. Secretly, however, everyone only hoped that the pilots would at least not get in the way of any of their own ships.
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The Yunagi had massive problems and had to give up the command of the Japanese 6th Destroyer Flotilla. However, the commander did not think of fleeing!
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From the Ussuri Maru, the planes set out to prove that they could play a useful role in naval warfare.
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The Yunagi was on the verge of capsizing. The destroyer rocked back and forth, but it was the Yunagi that used the first torpedo on the battlecruiser.
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Both destroyer flotillas of Japan were at the enemy at the same time and a familiar Picture emerged. Despite heavy defensive fire and heavy hits, the destroyer crews remained death-defying steadfast and carried out their torpedo attack.
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The French battlecruiser of the Dunkerque class was still able to avoid the triple compartment of the Yunagi, but this put it in the middle of the careers of several torpedoes from two triple compartments of the Hakaze.
Three of the six torpedoes of the Hakaze hit their target!
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Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi steered the Tsukuba around the offshore island in the meantime. He was unable to fight the battle with the clearly superior battlecruiser at short distances. The goals on the Tsukuba made this clear. The Tsukuba was a comparatively old ship and was not able to withstand numerous heavy hits for long. If the Tsukuba were to waste its ammunition against the enemy cruiser and possibly be hit even harder, Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi would not be able to fulfill his mission. After all, this mission was to bombard enemy positions.
That's exactly what he tried to achieve. His destroyers were on the enemy. This fired its heavy calibers at the distant Tsukuba, stood up to the more dangerous destroyers, and coming from the southwest, there was nothing that stood between the Tsukuba and the land targets. So he would try to shoot at the enemy positions, while his destroyers would keep the enemy from getting too close to him.
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The Japanese destroyers also did not miss the opportunity to shoot at the enemy positions on land. With their small guns, they could only annoy the French battlecruiser, but not be dangerous to it. For this they had their torpedoes. So you could confidently send a few grenades with the small calibers as a "greeting" to the enemy infantrymen.
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The three torpedo hits so far did not seem to impress the cruiser. Now the Miyuki followed up from close range and placed two more torpedoes in the hull of the giant.
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With the second salvo followed another one and now it was the Tachikaze's turn. With the first two torpedo hits of the Tachikaze, the enemy finally began to lose momentum.
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The second triple of the Tachikaze sealed the fate of the Frenchman and the beginning attack of the large and modern 1,500 ton destroyers with their even nine torpedo tubes was actually no longer necessary. From previous battles, however, it was known how dangerous even a floating wreck could be. The aim was to bring the enemy battlecruiser under water before the Tsukuba had rounded the offshore island and could become the target again. After all, the ideal firing position of the Tsukuba for land bombardment was exactly where the Frenchman threatened to lie down.
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To everyone's surprise, one of the planes appeared over the main battle zone and now all the crews wondered how the pilot would react?
It seemed striking! For the first time in the history of naval warfare, a warship appeared to be attacked by an aircraft. The destroyer crews could hardly believe it. This little bumpy piece of fabric actually flew a perfect attack vector. Until - yes until the pilots lost their courage and the question arose:
„There are no big French ships here - is that the Tsukuba?“
The pilot turned around and then flew parallel to the clearly Japanese destroyers. The crews saw the pilot gesticulating wildly, but did not understand what he meant. Actually, it could only be that he wanted to ask where his goal was?
Then all the men pointed wildly at the ship, which was still in the pilot's focus just a moment ago. However, it was not clear whether the hint was understood.
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The pilot at least turned in the right direction to the enemy again. Elsewhere there was more going on. The Japanese 8th Destroyer Flotilla had decided not to waste torpedoes on the battlecruiser and now attacked the Descartes-class light cruiser. This was a potentially deadly undertaking, because light cruisers were now designed and commissioned as destroyer killers.
The commander of the cruiser probably saw it that way and went straight for the attackers!
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The enemy cruiser needed only one volley and the Hatsuzakura was almost torn in two. There were four textbook direct hits. The crowning glory, however, was the hit of a French corvette standing far away directly into the fire control system of the Hatsuzakura. This made it hardly possible to defend themselves.
One of the newest and most modern Japanese destroyers was a floating wreck after only one enemy volley!
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Nevertheless, the Japanese occupation did what every Japanese occupation would have done in this situation. With the courage of desperation and doom in mind, fight the enemy with all available weapons. In the case of the Hatsuzakura, that was three torpedoes at an enemy barely 500 yards away!
The French occupation probably did not understand what was happening. Apparently, they thought the Hatsuzakura was done and didn't even pay attention to this Japanese destroyer anymore. They probably thought it impossible that the crew of the Hatsuzakura would carry out a torpedo attack and that they would have to jump overboard.
The three torpedoes headed for the light cruiser in perfect trajectory and it did not move a millimeter from the calculated course. It was only at the last moment that the French understood the problem and were thus also distracted by the second attack led by the Uzuki.
But by then everything was already too late. Two of the three torpedoes of the Hatsuzakura bored into the hull of the cruiser and exploded.
Knowing the exclamation some time earlier, an insanely loud "Banzai" thundered over the water from the still living men of Hatsuzakura!
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Of the Uzuki, only one torpedo of the triple hit the door, but the next three torpedoes had already been sent on their way by the Sagiri.
The crew of the Hatsuzakura finally fell into the wildest war cry since the times of the great shogunate, when the third torpedo actually hit one of the French destroyers! The commanders of the destroyers probably did not expect to be in the line of fire at all. But in fact, that was exactly the case. All torpedoes that had missed the cruiser ran directly towards two French destroyers. It didn't hurt anymore that the Okinami also had to take hits.
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Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi pushed his way past the western tip of the offshore island with the Tsukuba and was the first to see a French destroyer that had a direct course to Tsukuba. This made it clear what attention the main artillery had to have.
As lucky as Hatsuzakura was, Sagiri was unlucky. First the first fan of the Sagiri ran past the cruiser and now also one of the two destroyers. However, this could not diminish the success achieved so far.
Then something happened that no one had dared to believe. The first attack by an aircraft on a ship at sea in wartime conditions.
This was not an exercise, this was not a manoeuvre – this was an air raid!
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The Tsukuba had zeroed in on the destroyer, which he acknowledged with a radical change of course. The enemy commander probably did not feel the courage to attack a Japanese battlecruiser alone.
The Kawanishi Ginga Model C, despite all the improvements over the Model A, was a flying nothing. A few thin woods, lines and several wires held the construction together more poorly than right. For this reason alone, pilots of such "devices" had to be death-defying men. Now, however, Isobe Onokichi was not only flying a fragile something, but was also heading for a ship that would fight him!
It really took a death wish or contempt for death to do something so crazy!
The Kawanishi Ginga was originally built to support the light cruisers of the reconnaissance squadrons, but could also be armed with either a heavy 300 pound bomb or a medium 100 pound bomb. What effects this would have on a ship if one were to hit was in principle completely unknown. They simply had no experience in how the enemy ships were really constructed. Test bombings of ancient Japanese ships could hardly serve as a reference.
Isobe Onokichi tried to find out – all he had to do was hit the enemy!
Encouraged by all the luck, the crew of the Hatsuzakura watched as the enemy battlecruiser dragged itself laboriously towards the harbor. Hatsuzakura still had a triple to offer. The crew of the Hatsuzakura did not want to miss this chance, because it would probably be the last thing they did.
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Isobe Onokichi was now joined by the Kawanishi Ginga, which was flown by Kiotake Shigeno. Both headed straight for the enemy destroyer and tried their luck.
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Author's note: I have no idea where the second Kawanishi Ginga comes from so quickly. A total of five Kawanishi Ginga were launched from the aircraft tender. Two of them in „Recon“ configuration and three in „Naval“ configuration. But this is irrelevant, because both configurations are identically armed. Either with „heavy“ loadout - i.e. a 300 pound bomb or with „medium“ loadout with a 100 pound bomb. Range is identical for both loadouts, by the way, 97 nautical miles. Only with a „light“ loadout - in this case unarmed - the range would be 109 nautical miles.
In any case, one Kawanishi Ginga was in front and the other two were clearly behind. I suspect that one of the pilots accidentally invented teleportation or unintentionally got into a wormhole. It could also be that the second machine is one of the two recons - but they were actually somewhere else. Profanely, a graphic error could still be considered and it's just an airplane!
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Kobayashi Shukunosuke wanted to go all out right away. He took aim at the battlecruiser, while his comrades had to abort the approach because they had been pushed aside by a gust of wind shortly before the bomb was dropped.
In the end, it was Moro Goroku (https://www.earlyaviators.com/ewbfplak.htm) who dropped the first aircraft bomb on an enemy ship in a state of war. However, due to a sparse but noticeable defensive fire from the enemy destroyer, Moro Goroku tore the steering wheel right before the release and missed the target by a wide margin.
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Isobe Onokichi and Kiotake Shigeno now pursued a corvette, but then turned around to attack the destroyer again. The Destroyer was simply much larger and therefore easier to attack. Kobayashi Shukunosuke lost his courage at the sight of the battlecruiser and flew on towards the destroyer.
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Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi completed the circumnavigation of the island with the Tsukuba, left the individual destroyer to his own destroyers and ordered the fire to be directed at the enemy land positions.
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While the Japanese destroyers were able to score more hits, the madman men had to learn in their flying boxes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Those_Mag ... g_Machines that there was still a long way to go to pose a danger to a ship with an airplane.
The enemy battlecruiser was badly hit, but its main artillery was still operational and was now targeting the Tsukuba again. The cruiser finally had to be rendered harmless. This led to another successful torpedo attack by the Japanese destroyers.
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The Tsukuba was thus able to concentrate on its primary target, but had an almost pathetic hit rate.
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In the end, however, the artillerymen shot at their target.
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For the rest of the Japanese fleet squadron, a chaotic back and forth began. The Japanese destroyers tried to fight everything in sight. The battlecruiser was fired upon because it was directly in front of them. The destroyers, because they in turn went after the Japanese, the freighters when it was just the right thing to do and everything else that looked like a Frenchman.
In addition, the Japanese destroyers laid a smoke screen between the Tsukuba and the enemy so that the Tsukuba could take care of its own target.
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All French units that were still moving now tried to retreat into the minefield in front of the harbor. Japan's destroyers could not follow there and thus concentrated again on the ships that had already been defeated.
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On the Ussuri Maru, the first aircraft was brought back on board and the pilot reported. Although it was clear to everyone that this information was completely worthless because hopelessly outdated, it was the first proper air-based reconnaissance mission.
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In the meantime, the destroyers shielded their flagship and sorted themselves into line.
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Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi seized the opportunity. The smoke screen was driven north and suddenly, as if out of nowhere, the Dunkerque class was right in front of the Tsukuba. He continued to fire the 12-inch guns at the land position, but the 8-inch artillery took the cruiser under fire.
A broadside directly on the waterline was enough and the battered French battlecruiser capsized and sank!
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After that, the light cruiser got to feel the medium-heavy guns of the Tsukuba. Now that the Tsukuba no longer had to steer constant evasive courses, the hit rate increased significantly.
From now on, it was just the familiar tidying up.
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A rudderless French destroyer ran aground under Japanese fire and was therefore no longer a real danger.
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The artillerymen of the Tsukuba were finally in their element, firing and hitting everything within range of their guns.
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Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi began to wonder what was earlier? The enemy ships or the land target? There were audible explosions on land and fires broke out everywhere. However, their own infantry could only signal moderate success.
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At least Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi was able to capsize the light cruiser as well. The ranks of the enemy began to thin.
Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi took a deep breath. That the enemy had been defeated could no longer be doubted. It was now only a matter of time how long the clean-up would last. Actually, everything was hit, sometimes more, sometimes less, sometimes with heavy caliber, sometimes with only the light guns of the destroyers.
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Some smaller French guardboats and destroyers crept around the area, but did not dare to come close. It was not possible to pursue them in the minefield, but if these ships were to come out of their "construction", it would be a different story. Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi issued the order to pay attention to whether a chance arose. Until then, the enemy land position had to endure one broadside after another by the Tsukuba.
+ + +
For almost two hours, the shells of the Tsukuba had already rained down on the enemy's land position, when a huge explosion at this position made it clear to everyone that it was probably done. It must have been an ammunition bunker, but that didn't matter. The blast wave of the explosion had also been felt at sea. Whatever had been gathered nearby would probably be destroyed or badly damaged. The infantrymen probably dead or seriously injured. The fact that human bodies had been hurled through the air had already been passed on by the lookout. A little away from this inferno, Japanese flags were raised.
The Japanese infantry had started an assault!
For the navy, the march or sinking of the last enemy vessels remained. They would choose the second option to make the victory perfect. The more disillusioned the enemy was, the better for one's own infantry.
+ + +
It was five minutes past eight o'clock in the morning of a cloudy gray day, and the Imperial Japanese Navy had already accomplished its task. However, no one on board the warships knew that the cleaning up would take an eternity.
+ + +
The artillerymen of the Tsukuba had gained some practice in the meantime and thus they managed to hit such a small target as a corvette even at long distances with the 12-inch guns. Either the enemy would now finally retreat deep into the harbor or he would pay for his snooping around with his life.
+ + +
On board the Yunagi they had considerable difficulties. The destroyer resembled a sieve and the rudder system did not obey the "commands". In the meantime, the destroyer was considerably removed from the rest of the Japanese squadron and involuntarily reached the rear entrance of the harbor. Here, somewhat surprisingly, the mastheads of a ship were made out and everyone wondered whether the last stall had come, or whether they could still make up their own booty?
+ + +
After the third direct hit of a 12inch shell of the Tsukuba, the French corvette puffed up briefly, lay aside and sank. A corvette no longer stood a chance against a well-trained battlecruiser. Twenty years earlier it might have been different, but in the meantime the fire control of the heavy artillery had outgrown its infancy.
The enemy commander had paid for his curiosity with the sinking of his ship.
The Tsukuba took the nearest enemy under fire.
+ + +
On the Yunagi, the trembling began. The enemy had also spotted the Yunagi and was now coming towards them. It had to be a warship. Even a rowing boat with a rifle gun could be enough to sink the Japanese destroyer in the poor condition of the Yunagi. The commander wanted to turn away, but the rudder caused the familiar problems.
+ + +
But then the opponent preferred to pull back. It was probably a merchant ship after all, which now got scared in turn. The remnants of the Japanese 8th Destroyer Flotilla set out to support the Yunagi.
+ + +
In the meantime, the Tsukuba had cornered a destroyer, but because of the minefield and the proximity to the coast, you had to be very careful here. The opponent knew how to skilfully exploit the cover provided by the headland.
However, as soon as the destroyer tried to break out, he felt it immediately.
+ + +
In the meantime, the Japanese 8th Destroyer Flotilla had discovered another ship that was trying to hide here.
+ + +
Hectic arose when Hatsuzakura, who was also badly damaged, discovered another unknown ship, which was also uncomfortably close to the aircraft tender Ussuri Maru.
+ + +
The ship also turned out to be a merchant ship that had kept its distance. However, if this captain dared to make a ram thrust, he could succeed! Nevertheless, the commander of the Hatsuzakura decided to attack.
+ + +
In fact, more and more individual drivers appeared and in the south there was actually a corvette. However, the Yunagi was no longer in danger. Three ready-to-use destroyers would prevent an enemy from getting too close to the Yunagi.
+ + +
By now it was ten o'clock and there are enemy ships scattered throughout the sea area. The tidying up dragged on.
+ + +
In the south, the destroyers could not get within combat distance of the freighter because of the mine spears and the corvette fled through the narrow channel into the interior of the harbor. The Japanese 6th Destroyer Flotilla attacked the freighter near the Ussuri Maru.
+ + +
The battle dragged on for a long time.
+ + +
Shortly before eleven o'clock, the Japanese Fleet Squadron began to regroup. On all ships, the ammunition supply was low or barely existent. All accessible ships of the Grande Nation had taken at least enough hits to assume that they were sinking. In any case, they were out of action for a long time. If Fort Bayard were to fall today, their fate would be sealed.
+ + +
Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi ordered all units that still had ammunition to make the last attack, then it would be time to retreat.
+ + +
It was already after 1 p.m. and the enemy destroyer was still being shot at. This ship put up more resistance than the French battlecruiser and gradually Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi became annoyed.
+ + +
Then another corvette actually appeared and was able to score hits. The French were stubborn opponents with real fighting spirit, which had to be acknowledged on the Japanese side.
+ + +
When the ammunition on the remaining ships was also running low, Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi ordered them to leave. It was now after 2 p.m. and the fatigue of their own team prevented further goals rather than the opponent's evasive manoeuvres.
+ + +
Just when Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi had almost caught up with Hatsuzakura with his ships, this destroyer began to turn away abruptly and without warning. Then came the news that the Hatsuzakura was dodging enemy torpedoes. Since there was no enemy ship nearby, it could only be a submarine that was up to mischief here.
+ + +
The rough manoeuvre had the consequence that the hull of the Hatsuzakura, which had been patched up in a necessary way, was torn open again. The torpedoes didn't even have to hit to bring the Hatsuzakura to the brink of sinking.
+ + +
Around 6 p.m. dusk set in and the Japanese squadron crept away at a moderate speed so as not to simply drive away from the badly damaged destruction.
+ + +
At 9:35 p.m., the battle was declared over. Japan's navy had fought the first naval air battle in history and achieved a clear victory!
>> Memorandum of Kaigun-chūjō Tochinai Sojirō on the Battle of Nansan Dao on August 12, 1921 <<
Distinguished officers and members of the 大本営 (Daihon'ei),
I'll be brief: We won an outstanding victory! Without any losses of his own, Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi has succeeded in wrestling down an enemy battlecruiser and its convoy and still fully fulfilling his bombing mission.
Although many units were as good as empty after the battle, this does not diminish this important success in any way.
+ + +
I would also like to mention that for the first time in the history of naval warfare, ships have been attacked from the air, even if there has not yet been a hit. But it can certainly be assumed that the enemy will have suffered a shock just from the attempt of our planes to bomb him.
Naval aviation is still too young to be able to expect it to sink a battlecruiser, but all those involved have unanimously emphasized the great potential.
I strongly recommend intensifying the training of naval aviators and promoting the development of technology with the necessary consistency.
+ + +
With this I conclude the report in anticipation of the imminent capture of Fort Bayard by our heroic invasion forces.
+ + +
Thus, the officers of the 軍令部 (Gunreibu) of the Imperial Japanese Navy, the 参謀本部 (Sambō hombu) of the Imperial Japanese Army, as well as the 海軍省 (Kaigun-shō) may take good note of the prepared and illustrated course of the battle for the Battle of Nansan Dao on August 12, 1921 of the year.
Long live the Rengō Kantai, long live the Imperial Japanese Navy, long live the Emperor!
Kaigun-chūjō Tochinai Sojirō, August 15, 1921
+ + +
Editors of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Monday, August 15, 1921
The envelope had been lying unlabeled in front of his house entrance. Osaki Satoshi had only opened it when he was sitting alone in his editorial office. He feared further reprisals by the military. He assumed that they wanted to make him understand that he needed to take better care of his family.
But when he saw the papers from the envelope, he was speechless. It was the copy of a memorandum with the date of today. He knew that it was tradition for the commander-in-chief of the 聯合艦隊 (Rengō Kantai) to present the results in the form of a memorandum to the 軍令部 (Gunreibu) of the Imperial Japanese Navy after a battle. How could there already be a transcript of it? Why was this transcript leaked to him?
It took a few seconds for his thoughts to gather, only then did he realize his mistake...
"Battle of Nansan Dao on August 12, 1921..."
„… that was three days ago..."
„… but the Navy has not announced any battle at all..."
he whispered to himself.
He left the short letter and was even more surprised. The battle was a great success, why should the Navy make a secret of all things? It would become known anyway. The opponent may have to admit it to his homeland. The soldiers involved would start "singing" after a few bowls of sake in the pubs. So why did the Japanese people not know about this battle?
He decided to keep it to himself. The events were too strange and every wrong step could cost him his head.
+ + +
Editors of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Saturday, September 3, 1921
The rest of August had been very quiet. There was little to report. The fighting on land continued, a Japanese submarine did not succeed in sinking a ship of the line. Conversely, the cruiser Kinugasa was very badly damaged by a mine and the trade war swayed back and forth.
However, there was news about the trade war. An enraged French freighter had not loaded wood, as the captain pretended, but a lively troop of revolutionaries with weapons.
The naval leadership announced that a camouflaged commando unit of French soldiers was to carry out an attack on Japanese facilities. This commando unit was unmasked and all men were executed without exception. Behind closed doors, it was rumoured that revolutionaries would be eradicated wherever they were found. It was just not to set a precedent. In fact, the identities of the men had even been sent to the French government through obscure channels. Revolutions were dangerous, whether in one's own country or with the enemy. France in particular had proven in its history that this could become an uncontrollable conflagration.
The Marine nationale française took a beating, but giving in was not the business of the French. On the contrary, the more hopeless the situation became, the more daring the opponent appeared. At the beginning of September 1921, this culminated in a French attack on Japanese merchant shipping off Formosa.
The Japanese 5th Light Cruiser Division encountered the enemy completely unexpectedly when they got to the bottom of the distress call of the modern merchant ship TAKUSEI MARU.
Auxiliaries:
Corvette Sumire Maru
Corvette Teikyo Maru
Corvette Kobe Maru
Corvette Kurenai Maru
Corvette Midori Maru
Corvette Kamakura Maru
Corvette Takatiho Maru
Korvette Patrol boat 18
Coastal submarine: SSC I-3
Coastal submarine: SSC I-15
Coast Battery 9
Coast Battery 10
Coastal Battery 11
Coaster Battery 12
Aircraft base Hong Kong
Takao Aircraft Base
Airship base Hong Kong
Takao airship base
+ + +
It was a quiet late summer afternoon with calm seas and little wind. Kaigun-daisa Kanae Waki was in command of the light cruiser Yahagi and at the same time the entire unit of the Japanese 5th Light Cruiser Division. It was one of those days, which is why you became a sailor and were happy to be at sea. The gentle breeze, the slight rise and fall of the hull, the warming rays of the sun were perfect for a day at sea.
The Yahagi was the newest and most modern light cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy and was barely two years old. The sleek ship made maximum use of its 8,000 gross register tons and was the most heavily armed light cruiser in the fleet with nine 6inch guns. In addition, it could carry 52 sea mines, had six torpedo tubes and still easily reached 30 knots at medium range. As the fourth and last unit of the Chikuma class, he was able to carry out a variety of tasks. Escort of capital combat ships was just as much a part of this as the voyage as a merchant destroyer or the protection of one's own coastline and its ports.
Kaigun-daisa Kanae Waki stood at the railing and soaked up the salty air. He was happy about his task that day, because otherwise he would certainly have sunk into some harbor pub again, which was no longer appropriate since his promotion to Kaigun-daisa.
+ + +
Kaigun-daisa Kanae Waki had been cruising back and forth on the shipping lanes off Takao since early morning, and gradually a careless boredom set in.
+ + +
He could watch with his binoculars as the afternoon sea reconnaissance patrols took off from the two newfangled air bases of Takao, but so far the airships and planes had proven to be completely useless. On the warships, it was already said that airships are nothing but hot air. Even today, one would probably only hear about misfortunes, crashes and malfunctions from aviation, that was considered certain.
+ + +
It was almost exactly at 3 p.m. when the report arrived over the maritime radio equipment that reconnaissance number nine from Takao had sighted an unknown ship that was addressed as a cruiser! The worst thing about it was that this sighting was supposed to be in the immediate vicinity and headed for Takao.
Well – that was just out of sight and could be checked in a few minutes. Surely Enlightener Number Nine had spotted the Yahagi and their companions and nothing else.
+ + +
Then another report arrived from Airship Nineteen, which was almost identical and deviated by only a few nautical miles. Could both flight crews have been wrong? This was easily possible with a sea reconnaissance, but an airship had a larger crew, they couldn't all be blind? Kaigun-daisa Kanae Waki began to think, while new sightings kept coming in.
+ + +
Then light rain came up and the sightings became even more imprecise than they already were. At that moment, it was not the Takao marine radio station that reported, but the brand new cargo steamer TAKUSEI MARU. It was one big wild babble without any discipline, but the content was clear:
”We are under fire and need help – we are under fire and urgently need help!”
The TAKUSEI MARU was somewhere where the aircraft had previously claimed to have spotted an enemy cruiser. Now it was clear that the pilots had not been wrong. The enemy attacked Takao in unknown strength!
Kaigun-daisa Kanae Waki had no idea what he was up against, but it didn't take much ingenuity to suspect that the port of Takao must be the enemy's target.
He decided to cut off the opponent's path with his two light cruisers and steamed north at full speed. His destroyers, on the other hand, he set directly on the enemy to help the TAKUSEI MARU.
The TAKUSEI MARU soon came into sight of the destroyer division and showed severe damage as well as considerable pitch. It was already clear that this ship would sink.
However, there was no trace of enemy ships to be seen!
+ + +
But then the enemy appeared, hidden behind a rain bag. Kaigun-daisa Kanae Waki had his cruisers turned. If the enemy was still standing at this freighter, he was not at Takao. At the same time, Kaigun-daisa Kanae Waki received the information that the air forces wanted to try to bomb the enemy ships, but the weather was apparently too bad for that.
The destroyers reported a French destroyer in sight, which fired at the freighter. Upon approaching, however, the destroyer turned out to be a modern Lalande-class light cruiser.
+ + +
Almost immediately, there was a firefight between the destroyers and the enemy cruiser. Both sides were confident enough to look for melee combat! Destroyer Hagi deployed her torpedoes in a promising position, whereupon the cruiser immediately began to maneuver.
+ + +
A light cruiser was clearly not enough against five destroyers and thus a torpedo hit was practically predictable. However, the fact that the destroyers maneuvered highly riskily into the tracks of their own torpedoes was rather clumsy on the part of the young flotilla leader!
+ + +
He realized his mistake late, but not too late. Kaigun-daisa Kanae Waki had almost caught up with his destroyers and was about to start firing at the enemy ship when a new sighting of an aircraft made people sit up and take notice. This sighting was clearly distant.
Apparently, the French had more than just a light cruiser on site!
+ + +
The enemy cruiser was battered and began to fog. He would hardly be able to resist the Japanese superiority for long.
+ + +
Nevertheless, it was the Hagi who had to take a beating. Much to the annoyance of Kaigun-daisa Kanae Waki, the otherwise so successful torpedo crews on the destroyers were this time pursued by bad luck. Even from close range, no further goal was scored.
+ + +
Only the Teruzuki put an end to this nightmare and scored another torpedo hit. The fate of the light cruiser was supposed to be sealed, but from the past you had to know that an enemy is only harmless when it has sunk!
Kaigun-daisa Kanae Waki wanted to sink the ship quickly and tried a foolish single shot from the bow torpedo tube of his light cruiser with the Yahagi and was successful!
+ + +
The Frenchman's speed dropped to about five knots. It was time to try the catch shot. After three more torpedo hits by the Yahagi and Chikuma, the opponent remained unable to fight.
+ + +
Countless artillery hits finished off the enemy ship! Eventually, more torpedoes from the Yahagi and Chikuma put an end to the tragedy.
+ + +
After no further sightings were reported, Kaigun-daisa Kanae Waki already suspected that the battle was over. The Chikuma stopped to take survivors on board and the Yahagi sailed along with the destroyers. Completely unexpectedly, two more unknown ships appeared behind a rain front.
The battle would probably continue for a while, cursed Kaigun-daisa Kanae Waki!
Kaigun-daisa Kanae Waki had to admit that the messages from the aircraft were useless in terms of enemy strength, enemy position and course, but it was now clear that the aircraft crews were at least able to find something at all.
What this might mean for the future was not foreseeable, but for the moment the battle was still in full swing. Kaigun-daisa Kanae Waki changed course to intercept the enemy.
A short time later, two more light cruisers of the French were recognized and fire was opened.
+ + +
The enemy also turned to face the battle. The Yahagi let herself be flanked by the destroyers and was thus able to work from cover, while the destroyers drew fire on them and tried again to make everything clear with the torpedoes. The Chikuma was immediately withdrawn from the recovery of the shipwrecks. The cruiser's firepower was desperately needed, and when stopped, it also provided a perfect target.
In the meantime, the ship sailing aft was addressed as an older destroyer of the Obusier class.
+ + +
The second ship was classified as a Descartes-class light cruiser, which also immediately began to fog. The opposing squadron leader assessed his situation as inferior and began to pull away.
+ + +
Both enemy ships tried their luck separately, which was not entirely absurd in order to save at least one ship. However, that a destroyer should go the sacrificial process to save his cruiser was certainly too much to ask of the French. A Japanese destroyer would do that without hesitation.
+ + +
Destroyer Teruzuki was the first to shoot at the enemy destroyer and hit the first hit.
Then came the bang of destroyer Sagiri!
With two 4inch guns, the Sagiri fired at the enemy and then it showed what modern artillery could do to an old ship. A 4inch shell of the Sagiri penetrated the magazine of the enemy destroyer and detonated the powder charges and explosive heads there.
The enemy destroyer disappeared in a huge red fireball, then debris rained down everywhere and at the last position of the ship only a cloud of black smoke could be seen.
+ + +
This meant that only the remaining light cruiser had to be hunted down. This cruiser was fast, but a few hits were enough to slow her down bit by bit until the first torpedo attack became possible. But the cruiser was also able to score hits.
+ + +
Of course, the French commander had to be encouraged that he unexpectedly sought close combat, but that only led to his ship being hit by two torpedoes. His fate was thus predetermined.
+ + +
The light cruiser quickly lost speed and fogged up again. That wouldn't save him.
+ + +
It took some time for Kaigun-daisa Kanae Waki to bring his two light cruisers within combat range, but then both cruisers covered the enemy with their 6inch shells. Now it was only a matter of time until the opponent was finished.
+ + +
The opponent also scored further hits on the Japanese destroyers, but not a single one of them has been really critical so far.
+ + +
The Okinami had already scored the first two torpedo hits, now the next followed. However, this led to the immediate capsizing of the French cruiser, so that the battle ended just as surprisingly as it had begun.
>> Memorandum of Kaigun-chūjō Tochinai Sojirō on the Battle of Takao September 05, 1921 <<
Distinguished officers and members of the 大本営 (Daihon'ei),
In fact, we should acknowledge that there are gaps in our education. To deny this would only entail further dangers. Nevertheless, we can be pleased about the courageous commitment of Kaigun-daisa Kanae Waki. In just three hours, he managed to sink three enemy warships and eliminate the danger before the situation could escalate.
With such daring and fortunate commanders, we can look forward to future encounters with the Marine nationale française without any worries.
There is nothing more to say about this daring initiative of the French. As quickly as it had begun, so quickly it was ended by us.
+ + +
Thus, the officers of the 軍令部 (Gunreibu) of the Imperial Japanese Navy, the 参謀本部 (Sambō hombu) of the Imperial Japanese Army, as well as the 海軍省 (Kaigun-shō) may take good note of the prepared and illustrated course of the battle for the Battle of Takao on September 5, 1921 of the year.
Long live the Rengō Kantai, long live the Imperial Japanese Navy, long live the Emperor!
Kaigun-chūjō Tochinai Sojirō, September 6, 1921
+ + +
Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Tuesday, September 06, 1921
Osaki Satoshi was taken aside by an officer unknown to him. This annoyed him splendidly, as he wanted to hear what the navy had to announce. He half heard something about an attack on Takao the day before, then the unknown man, who could be identified by his insignia as Kaigun-chūsa, became louder:
"You passed the first test, Mr. Osaki."
"Exam - which exam?"
"You know that well, Mr. Osaki, if you continue to remain secretive, there is hope for you and your family, Mr. Osaki!"
Then it dawned on Osaki Satoshi. The envelope with the memorandum. So it hadn't been an informant at all, but the secret service that wanted to know if he would trumpet everything?
Perfidious – because with the current words he could probably assume that he and his family would be considered missing by now if he had printed something about the content of the memorandum.
However, this also made it practically official that he was under observation and that his articles had aroused the displeasure of the military – perhaps even the imperial family. From now on, he would have to be much more careful about what he announced and what he did not.
Could his readers be satisfied if he only printed the official announcements? Certainly not!
That was a dilemma. He would have to talk to editor-in-chief Fukuzawa Saburo. But that was also dangerous. If Fukuzawa Saburo believes that he himself or the publisher have also fallen out of favor, this could also have nasty consequences for Satoshi.
On the way back from the ministry to the editorial office, he almost shouted it out:
Kamata Itachi!
Of course - he thought! His old editor-in-chief Kamata Itachi – could he discuss with him what to do? Six years had passed since his foster father had retired from the publishing house. To his shame, Satoshi had to admit to himself that he didn't even know if Itachi was still alive at all? It must have been four years since he had heard that Itachi had moved back to the provinces. And he had long since ceased to be the youngest.
He would have to ask old Murata if he knew how to find Kamata Itachi.
Maisutā Murata was even older than editor-in-chief Kamata Itachi and was now more often referred to as a ghost. Murata was not a real maisutā, as this title was now often heard from the German Empire. But Maisutā Murata had spent a long time of his life as an assistant to a German toolmaker. As the person responsible for the printing presses in the publishing house, he was able to apply the knowledge he gained in this way on a regular basis. Over the years, he had accumulated a profound knowledge and developed an almost affectionate relationship with the printing presses. Without him, many editions would never have been published and at some point everyone called him Maisutā Murata.
Strangely enough, the printing presses always failed when Maisutā Murata was finally about to retire. Thus it came about that the old exalted Maisutā Murata was still to be found regularly in the printing works, although no longer daily.
Maisutā Murata had had a very close friendly relationship with editor-in-chief Kamata Itachi for many years. Much closer than his own relationship with Itachi had been. So if anyone in Japan knew where Itachi was, it was Maisutā Murata.
+ + +
Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Tuesday, September 06, 1921
Finally arrived at the editorial office, Osaki Satoshi had to wait with his plan to look for Itachi. His employees had evaluated the latest information and now wanted to have the approvals for their articles.
The appearance of the German High Seas Fleet appeared most dramatic. Most of the High Seas Fleet was in Asian waters. Fewer ships would have been enough for a demonstration of strength. What had come up here smelled like war and all those present wanted to print that in an extra sheet for the evening.
Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Wednesday, September 21, 1921
Osaki Satoshi left the editorial office before the news from the front could reach him. At last the soldiers of the Empire had achieved significant successes and the troops of France were thrown at several sectors of the Tonkin Front. A conquest was thus a matter of days, perhaps even hours. It wouldn't take any more months, that became more and more a certainty.
+ + +
But Satoshi had long since been sitting on a train of the 鉄道省? (Tetsudo-sho), the Japanese Government Railway. He had left Tōkyō over an hour ago and was driving on the 東海道本線, (Tōkaidō-honsen - Tōkaidō main line) towards Kyoto. From there it would continue to Osaka by train. His destination was Wakayama Prefecture and he was already looking forward to the beautiful nature for which the prefecture was known throughout Japan. This was probably also due to Kōyasan and Shikoku, the old pilgrimage routes with their hundreds of temples. Over high steep ridges through intimidating forests, or along the long coastline, pilgrims and travelers came into contact with the mighty nature of Wakayama. This was where the spiritual heart of Japan beat, and Satoshi wondered if that's why editor-in-chief Kamata Itachi lived such a long, healthy and successful life? Itachi had never told him that he was from Wakayama, but Maisutā Murata spat out the name of the prefecture even before Satoshi had finished his question.
Old Murata knew that Itachi had moved back to 小川村 (Kogawa) to help his older frail brother Itaro. Itachi had to be – Satoshi speculated – just under ninety or more. If he wanted to help his older frail brother at that age, he would probably soon be one of the frail old men as well.
Kogawa, he knew now, lay long in a narrow gorge on a small wild river and had only a few hundred inhabitants. Surrounded by wooded slopes, it had to be pure nature there. But how he was supposed to get there from Osaka was a mystery to him? It would be a journey of days or even weeks, then his thoughts would get lost in the dream world and the rhythmic shaking and rattling of the wagon would lull him to sleep.
Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Thursday, October 06, 1921
Late in the evening of October 6, Osaki Satoshi was back in Tōkyō and his path immediately led him to the editorial office. To his amazement, he found no one there. It was shortly before midnight and apparently his employees took advantage of the hour of his absence to go home early. He would have to discuss that. For the moment, however, he had to make do with the news at the turn of the month, which was already three days old. He had really noticed almost nothing of the outside world during his stay with editor-in-chief Kamata Itachi. But this also made him feel miraculously relaxed and young. He almost thought he had found himself in one of the ghost stories of his childhood, so lasting were the impressions of Wakayama's nature. Already his thoughts were back with the hengeyokai and he really thought he had met some tanuki (raccoon dogs). He shook his head to come to his senses.
It was war and he had no time for the ghosts of his childhood.
In Southeast Asia, the fighting raged, in Japan itself people lived as if in peace. No one was worried except the military. The massive contingent of the High Seas Fleet of the German Empire created nervousness. Japanese negotiators had long been negotiating to lower tensions, but that was not enough for the Imperial Japanese Navy. Kaigun-chūjō Tochinai Sojirō personally wanted to set an example and invited the commander of the German East Asia Squadron, Vice Admiral Friedrich Gädecke, to visit a maneuver of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
Far in the north of Japan, the maneuver fleet gathered in the bay off Kushiro-shi. In the early morning of October 24, 1921, the warships made steam and dungeons made their anchorages one after the other. Kaigun-chūjō Tochinai Sojirō calmly visited the battlecruiser Myoko, which served as the flagship, with his guests.
Although they had an aircraft carrier in the formation with the Suwo, after the sobering results of the aircraft it served more as an accessory. They wanted to demonstrate the attack of several destroyer divisions on capital ships. All nations knew about the dreaded Japanese torpedo boat attacks on the Tsar's fleet and the Royal Navy. Over the years, however, more and more naval strategists believed that this tactic was outdated. Modern capital ships were far too stable and powerful to fall victim to destroyers.
Kaigun-chūjō Tochinai Sojirō not only wanted to demonstrate that Japan had significant quantities of destroyers, but also to prove that they were still capable of sinking a battleship formation. He hoped that Vice Admiral Friedrich Gädecke understood the indication that his battleships were not safe in Asian waters.
No one expected that a French battlecruiser group intended to bomb Kushiro-shi that morning.
After the bad press of the last few weeks, the Marine nationale française found itself under pressure to act. On the one hand, it finally had to deploy heavy warships, on the other hand, they had to survive. Since Japan was concentrated in the south, Hokkaidō was a lonely, remote area. None of those responsible in France expected a large contingent of Japanese naval forces here. Especially since autumn also increased and several storms had already passed through in the north. France's 1st Battlecruiser Division had made its way north unseen in a wide swing into the depths of the Pacific and approached Cape Kiritappu from the northeast on the morning of 24 October 1921.
Neither side expected a clash with the enemy that morning.
Neither side expected that this day would change naval warfare forever!
+ + +
Kaigun-chūjō Tochinai Sojirō stood at a chart table with Vice Admiral Friedrich Gädecke and his entourage and explained to him the units participating in the maneuver:
Japanese 7th Battlecruiser Division:
Battlecruiser Myoko (flagship)
Battlecruiser Furutaka
- - -
Japanese 12th Aircraft Carrier Division:
Aircraft carrier Suwo
- - -
Japanese 14th Aircraft Carrier Division:
Aircraft tender Oryoku Maru
- - -
Japanese 9th Light Cruiser Division:
Light cruiser Takasago
- - -
Japanese 8th Destroyer Flotilla:
Destroyer Yadake
Destroyer Take
Destroyer Nashi
Destroyer Hishi
Destroyer Sakura
Assistants:
Submarine: SS I-50
Coastal Battery 6
Coastal Battery 7
Coastal Battery 8
Coastal Battery 9
Coastal Battery 10
Coastal Battery 11
Coastal Battery 12
Coastal Battery 13
Port Arthur Aircraft Base
Wakkanai Aircraft Base
Weihaiwei Aircraft Base
Noshiro Aircraft Base
Sasebo Aircraft Base
Yokosuka Aircraft Base
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Kaigun-chūjō Tochinai Sojirō had to fend off Vice Admiral Friedrich Gädecke's question as to why Japan asked for its state-of-the-art destroyers here, but ultimately modernized obsolete battlecruisers such as the Myoko?
With this composition, it was hardly possible to show the capabilities of modern battleships and battlecruisers, and Vice Admiral Friedrich Gädecke asked directly if Japan had something to keep secret?
So taken by surprise, Kaigun-chūjō Tochinai Sojirō tried to keep his composure and flippantly remarked that Vice Admiral Gädecke should ask the same question again after the maneuver. This, in turn, made Vice Admiral Gädecke wonder what his opponent might still have up his sleeve?
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Thus, Kaigun-chūjō Tochinai Sojirō began to explain what the local conditions looked like, what role aerial reconnaissance from land played and which units were to compete against whom:
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Vice Admiral Friedrich Gädecke watched with visibly relish as the start of the air operations tore the unit apart in an uncoordinated manner and almost resulted in a collision. Kaigun-chūjō Tochinai Sojirō knew why the aircraft carrier should only play a subordinate role that day. But he had to have it with him. Japan had insisted far too much in recent months on how important it took the aircraft carriers. Not having one with you today would be a disgrace. It would show that the Imperial Japanese Navy itself did not trust these new weapons.
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At half past nine local time, the preparations were completed and the units began to leave the formation to take up their maneuver positions.
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Ten minutes later, out of nowhere, the light cruiser Takasago reported an unknown ship in the maneuver area. This appeared exactly where the destroyer flotillas, which were supposed to represent the enemy, had to go. Now Vice Admiral Friedrich Gädecke was sharpened. So these vile Japanese had more forces on the ground than indicated and probably wanted to demonstrate something completely different.
Kaigun-chūjō Tochinai Sojirō was irritated, but tried not to let it show. In this situation, he could hardly ask his staff officers what was happening here?
But when reconnaissance forty-three of the aircraft tender Oryoku Maru reported several battlecruisers and their escorts further north, he couldn't help it:
Kaigun-chūjō Tochinai Sojirō didn't wait for someone to try to answer his question. He also did not wait for further clarification reports. Vice Admiral Friedrich Gädecke was surprised for a moment by the reaction of Kaigun-chūjō Tochinai Sojirō, then he had to listen to the following words of Kaigun-chūjō:
"Message to all ships and aircraft: The manoeuvre has been aborted – the manoeuvre has been aborted – enemy sighted – all men ready for battle."
His subordinates and the captain of the Myoko looked at him in amazement. He looked into their faces and repeated himself:
"Don't listen — all men ready for battle — we've met the enemy!"
Still no one wanted to understand. Because of an unreliable reconnaissance report, it was not possible to conclude that they were French warships. Not here, not so far north far away from any French base? In fact, Kaigun-chūjō Tochinai Sojirō seemed to be the only one who believed the report of the maritime reconnaissance aircraft to be genuine and precise. Only Vice Admiral Friedrich Gädecke frowned and sensed that Kaigun-chūjō Tochinai Sojirō thought the situation was serious.
Kaigun-chūjō Tochinai Sojirō slammed his fist on the chart table and thundered:
"You have heard — come on — give the orders — all men ready for battle — we have met the enemy!"
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It took a moment, then the individual divisions had formed a halfway reasonable formation and turned towards the suspected enemy. The Suwo was ordered away by the enemy. The embarrassing maneuver at the beginning was sign enough to get this ship out of the line of fire.
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The fact that Kaigun-chūjō Tochinai Sojirō was probably right became apparent a few minutes before nine o'clock local time. Cruiser Takasago reported being under enemy fire, although the enemy was still far away and unclassified.
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Due to this fact, the enemy must have had a large caliber and the commander of the Takasago therefore reported a battleship, although he could not confirm this.
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Two more ships came into view and thus for the second time a reconnaissance report was confirmed as correct. Apparently, the pilots had at least learned to give correct position information of recognized targets.
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Then the commander of the Takasago had to realize that his assumption had been wrong. He had to deal with his peers and identified a French light cruiser of the Lalande class.
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The other two ships were immediately classified as French battlecruisers. At least one of them as a Dunkerque class. The Takasago was no match for this and turned away. The second ship could also be recognized as a Dunkerque class,
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Now Vice Admiral Friedrich Gädecke was able to watch as Kaigun-chūjō Tochinai Sojirō actually ordered his destroyers to attack directly. The maneuver turned deadly serious and the Japanese actually stuck to their old tactics! The expected beating was received by the Japanese 10th Destroyer Flotilla, which was now covered by the combined fire of the two enemy battlecruisers.
The Yugure was hit by one of the first Slavs and leaned to the side almost immediately.
The destroyer swerved and left his flotilla.
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But also the French squadron leader understood that he had problems and was far outnumbered. He turned around and tried to escape.
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The French light cruiser was probably supposed to cover the retreat and turned around, while the two battlecruisers unleashed a murderous hail of shells over the Japanese destroyers. From the Suwo, nine Kawanishi Taizan C rose into the air, although the wearer had not received an order to do so.
The Japanese destroyers aborted the first attempt under the impression of the fierce resistance. Kaigun-chūjō Tochinai Sojirō decided to bring his two battlecruisers close to the enemy in order to allow his destroyers to attack while drawing enemy fire on him.
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A good half an hour after the fire opened, the opponents stalked each other without having achieved any significant results. The Japanese destroyers kept a respectful distance and Vice Admiral Friedrich Gädecke saw this as confirmation that the time of torpedo boat attacks was over.
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Kaigun-chūjō Tochinai Sojirō headed straight for the enemy with his two battlecruisers. He wanted to get within range of his guns as quickly as possible. On his port side, Kaigun-chūjō Tochinai Sojirō saw several planes passing by, and he wondered who had given the order? The planes should stay out of it so as not to cause problems.
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To the southeast, the Japanese destroyers had great difficulty with the light cruiser. Its commander masterfully outmaneuvered the Japanese and put them in trouble himself. However, this commander also saw the danger for his two battlecruisers. A Japanese destroyer flotilla was about to sit in front of the two capital ships, while the Japanese capital ships rushed in from the rear. This would encircle the French.
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Finally, the Japanese destroyers were in a promising position and began a torpedo attack on the enemy battlecruisers at long range. With a bit of luck, these two ships would stubbornly continue to hold their course, ignoring the fact that the destroyers had fired their torpedoes.
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No one had paid attention to the nine Kawanishi Taizan C torpedo planes under their squadron leader Yamanaka Nabuo.
The C model of the Taizan was only recently delivered by Kawanishi and had undergone some improvements. In contrast to the Kawanishi Ginga, the Taizan was designed as a so-called torpedo bomber. At the first sight of these frail biplanes, Yamanaka Nabuo's first reaction was: "They break apart when they stand". The torpedo under the hull was much smaller than the torpedoes he knew from the warships, but compared to the airplane they were still huge monsters.
Yamanaka Nabuo had given himself the order to deploy and the commander of the Suwo had raised no objections. Yamanaka Nabuo was eager to play. He had persistently oriented himself to his own destroyers and cruisers and thus found his way directly to the targets. Now he had the two French battlecruisers directly ahead and he waved to his other pilots to start the attack.
All nine Taizan torpedo planes glided down from the height in a moderate dive to just above the surface of the water. But even that was enough to push the Taizan C to its limits. Almost all the planes hit the Pacific because interception was more difficult than expected. All pilots lacked practice with these new torpedo planes and the inertia surprised everyone. Also, the fabric cladding of the wings of two aircraft came loose and fluttered wildly back and forth, damaging the light wooden struts.
But now they were all flying together at only about twenty shaku above the surface of the water. From what height the torpedoes were to be dropped, no one had told them at all. But Yamanaka Nabuo only noticed this now.
What if the torpedoes shattered on impact? Or worse, if they exploded? Then his planes would be hit by shrapnel!
He had to think about whether he had received instructions and just forgotten? He motioned for his squadron to fly a little higher and make a circle. He wanted to do everything right, but from what height did you have to drop those damn torpedoes?
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Yamanaka Nabuo lost patience. From a greater height, he could see the trajectories moving from the destroyers towards the French ships. And the lanes seemed to be perfect. If the two battlecruisers were to continue like this, some torpedoes would hit safely.
He decided to make a new approach between twenty and thirty shaku altitude and communicated with his pilots. They fanned out a bit and then all turned towards the opponent. Then there was a bang all over their sides, as well as above and even below them. In fact, they were shelled from the ships, which didn't make it any easier.
The pilots could see one of their destroyers being hit, but then had to concentrate on their target. At what distance should the torpedoes be dropped, it flashed through Yamanaka Nabuo's head? All the same! There might still be about 300 Shaku to the ships and he ordered the torpedoes to be dropped.
Then he immediately turned away and his relay mates did the same. He looked back and thought it looked good. Then one of the torpedoes, whichever of the nine planes, slammed into the aft battlecruiser and exploded. The detonation was powerful and enough to easily push the fragile biplanes even at this distance.
Something had happened – it could never have been the torpedo's warhead alone.
Then Yamanaka Nabuo realized that he had torpedoed an enemy warship. Maybe not him personally, but one of the pilots of the squadron he commanded.
For the first time in the history of naval warfare, an enemy ship was attacked and hit by an aircraft!
And the torpedo must have hit something important. The French battlecruiser immediately lost considerable speed and turned around.
Usually, enemy ships swallowed the Japanese torpedoes as if they were nothing, but this small, light air torpedo had made a difference. Yamanaka Nabuo began to shout:
Yamanaka Nabuo didn't know what to make of it? Right during his attack, the enemy began to turn away. He did not know whether he had spotted the approaching torpedoes of the destroyers, or whether it had been a reaction to his air attack.
But he could now see that the leading battlecruiser was trying to take up the old course, while the battlecruiser hit by the air torpedo continued to turn and lose speed.
He suspected a hit in the engine or the rudder system.
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But then the second battlecruiser turned back to the north. But now the first battlecruiser turned away again. This was clearly due to the attack of the destroyers and the second battlecruiser reacted visibly sluggishly and slower than the first. So the second battlecruiser would certainly be a found fodder for the destroyers.
Yamanaka Nabuo made his way back to the Suwo with his squadron. However, he could still see that a fierce artillery battle was beginning to develop between the French battlecruisers and the Japanese destroyers.
But even further south, the French light cruiser seemed to dish out a lot!
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Kaigun-chūjō Tochinai Sojirō could not see everything. His cruisers were too far away from the enemy battlecruisers. But it had become clear that the planes had done something. More obvious for him was the battle with the Lalande class. This cruiser fogged up, but this did not prevent the cruiser from shooting the Japanese destroyers together. But these in turn now came into position for a torpedo attack and were successful!
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Vice Admiral Friedrich Gädecke had a mischievous smile on his face. He knew he was right. The Japanese destroyers had to take the heaviest hits and were, in his opinion, wrecks that had to sink at any moment. But he also had to accept that the Japanese commanders showed a complete contempt for death. German skippers would have ordered all men off board after such broadsides. Japanese crews sailed on to bring at least one more torpedo salvo to the finish. He had to acknowledge that this made all the difference!
It was not the technology that made the Japanese so successful with their torpedo attacks, it was the crews who sacrificed themselves!
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The French squadron apparently wanted to unite, but this led the opponents into a foreseeably chaotic position.
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The advantage was clearly with the fast and agile destroyers, who were now completely in their element and fired one torpedo salvo after the other at the battlecruisers. The battlecruisers, in turn, made a well-known mistake of European fleets. They tried to fight the Japanese capital ships standing far away and also hit, but the real danger was the Japanese destroyers. After all, the Furutaka had to withdraw from the battle badly hit.
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Then what had to happen happened! The torpedoes hit their targets in rows.
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No matter how badly the Japanese destroyers were hit, they would not let their booty escape.
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Gradually, the resistance of the French battlecruisers diminished and the first signs appeared that both ships were in danger of capsizing. The French light cruiser also lay almost motionless in the water and was fired upon by the Takasago without resistance.
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The battle was over. All three enemy cruisers were sinking. Vice Admiral Friedrich Gädecke rubbed his eyes. He had been right, and yet he had understood the message.
If the High Seas Fleet did not make at least the same sacrifices, every Imperial German battleship in Asia would be doomed!
>> Memorandum of Kaigun-chūjō Tochinai Sojirō on the advance at Cape Kiritappu, October 24, 1921 <<
Distinguished officers and members of the 大本営 (Daihon'ei),
I have the honor to tell you about a truly extraordinary maneuver. As the Naval Command had decided, we intended to cool the tensions with the German Empire somewhat by presenting an impressive demonstration of our will to fight to the Commanding Officer of the German East Asia Squadron, Vice Admiral Friedrich Gädecke.
I can confirm to you that we could not have succeeded in doing this more clearly and sublimely.
Our German guest, as well as all members of the Imperial Japanese Navy, were able to watch how, for the first time in the long history of naval warfare, an enemy capital ship was attacked by an aircraft and actually hit. In keeping with the tradition of our Navy, we succeeded in doing so with a torpedo hit that had lasting effects.
The enemy battlecruiser was badly hit and thus all battle plans of the Marine nationale française were invalidated. The rest of the day impressively showed the well-known willingness to sacrifice of our sailors and officers on board the destroyers. This appearance visibly shocked Vice Admiral Friedrich Gädecke and his entourage. So I can announce that we have achieved our goal, albeit differently than we had planned that day.
However, the considerable damage to the furutaka is somewhat regrettable. It turns out that the old battlecruiser has left its best days behind it. This also applies to the Myoko. For the period after the war, I recommend an extensive study of the value of obsolete combat ships. Using the Suwo, we have demonstrated that continuing to exist as an aircraft carrier makes even a completely outdated standard ship of the line shine in new splendor.
We can assume that the success of the young flying officer Yamanaka Nabuo was only the first in a long series of future successes of the Teikoku Kaigun Kōkūtai (Imperial Japanese Naval Air Force).
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Thus, the officers of the 軍令部 (Gunreibu) of the Imperial Japanese Navy, the 参謀本部 (Sambō hombu) of the Imperial Japanese Army, and the 海軍省 (Kaigun-shō) may take good note of the prepared and illustrated course of the battle for the advance at Cape Kiritappu on October 24, 1921 of that year.
Long live the Rengō Kantai, long live the Imperial Japanese Navy, long live the Emperor!
Kaigun-chūjō Tochinai Sojirō, October 25, 1921
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Extra sheet of the Tōkyō Shinbun from Tuesday, October 25, 1921
>> French battleship sunk by Japanese plane! <<
As the Navy announced in the late evening hours of yesterday, Monday, the Imperial Japanese Navy, more precisely the bombers of the Teikoku Kaigun Kōkūtai from the aircraft carrier Suwo, has succeeded in sinking a French battleship! Under the command of the heroic pilot Yamanaka Nabuo, he and his 8 comrades attacked an entire enemy battle group of capital ships and were able to send one of the ships to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean with their torpedoes.
This feat is entirely in the tradition of Japanese soldiering, and it is not an understatement to say that this sinking ushered in a new age of naval warfare.
Japan is the first nation to sink an enemy warship with an airplane!
The whole nation can hardly wait for the next battle in this war, and surely only the Teikoku Kaigun Kōkūtai will play a role!
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Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Tuesday, October 25, 1921
Osaki Satoshi was ashamed of his article, but in the press conference, the Navy had left no doubt about what was to be reported. Especially that it was not allowed to be mentioned with a word where everything had happened. Satoshi was under observation and couldn't afford a misstep here. Editor-in-chief Kamata Itachi had advised him to be obedient like a little schoolboy as long as the problem existed. Editor-in-chief Itachi had promised to let some of them play old contacts in the truest sense of the word to defuse the problem. Whether this could succeed, however, not even Itachi knew and also not how much time it would take?
So Osaki Satoshi did as he was told. His readers would certainly not approve of the new propaganda style, but it was no different in the other times of the day of the country. This small consolation remained Satoshi, even if he didn't really feel it as a comfort for a second.
The hope for better times and especially the warm reunion with his old foster father, on the other hand, were a pure blessing. He would be able to draw on the incredible impressions in Wakayama for some time to come, and this was a comfort he felt.
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Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Monday, October 31, 1921
That was conspicuous, he had to admit. Osaki Satoshi held a piece of paper in his hand that read that most of the German High Seas Fleet was in the process of expiring. Informants also rumoured that a few days ago they had seen a chalk-pale high-ranking German officer in Tōkyō, who was looking at several Japanese daily newspapers with dismay.
Osaki Satoshi couldn't make sense of it. A high-ranking German officer would never believe what was written in the Japanese press. Surely the newspapers in Germany would also have to write pleasingly and thus contain little truth?
It remained a mystery that had to be solved.
Then Osaki Satoshi thought he knew the reason when, during the editorial meeting, the rumor spread that France had capitulated. It quickly turned out that this was only the French garrison of Kwang-Chou-Wan, but that was also a huge disaster for France.
The rest of the news, on the other hand, was insignificant.
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Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Thursday, November 24, 1921
November passed almost without events, which may be mainly due to the fact that both the French fleet and the German fleet had left East Asia. There was simply no one there who was looking for a fight with the Imperial Japanese Navy.
However, it was precisely this fact that led to the opportunity to become active at the end of November and Japan's navy announced the invasion of Tonkin. Without having to fear enemy warships, the invasion itself was nothing more than a maneuver. Whether Tonkin could be conquered was another matter.
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Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Tuesday, December 06, 1921
December began as quietly as November had ended. There was moderately interesting war news and in Japan people were eagerly awaiting the turn of the year. Everyone was looking forward to a few quiet days at the end of the month.
The fact that the Imperial Japanese Navy was to experience a special fireworks display on New Year's Eve shortly before midnight was not on anyone's mind!
>> Night Battle in the Gulf of Tonkin, 31 December 1921 <<
Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi took a second helping of the Shiruko (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiruko). He loved Shiruko more than anything and as a dessert of the New Year's feast he especially liked it. It was already the fifth second helping, and the Lord's Supper was long over. In a few minutes the year nineteen hundred and twenty-one would pass and it had been a successful year for him personally as well as for all of Japan.
In August, he had to pass his first major reinforcement test and passed it passably. This was probably the reason why Kaigun-chūjō Tochinai Sojirō had once again entrusted him with the command of the Tsukuba. His association was similar to that before Nansan Dao, but this time even larger. He had a light cruiser and a third destroyer flotilla under his command, which had not been under his command four months earlier.
The officers' mess had now filled up again shortly before midnight and it was intended to welcome the new year in a moist and cheerful way. Since the bowls with the Shiruko had not been cleared away, he helped himself as he always did when Shiruko was available.
He was pleased with the trust that Kaigun-chūjō Tochinai Sojirō had placed in him and would certainly be able to fulfill his new assignment well.
He was supposed to support the invasion troops of Tonkin on New Year's Day and because the Asian waters were currently only navigated by Japanese warships, little could go wrong. He pondered about his squadron and was not too worried:
Japanese 5th Battlecruiser Division:
Battlecruiser Tsukuba (flagship)
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Japanese 7th Reconnaissance Division:
Light cruiser Tatsuta
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Japanese 9th Aircraft Carrier Division:
Ussuri Maru Aircraft Tender
The Tsukuba was a good ship and well equipped for the job. The Gulf of Tonkin was still in French hands, but the bases were scattered and had only passive minefields and a few corvettes. He was able to drive through all the ports one after the other and give artillery support to the army.
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„Gentlemen…“
his first officer began a speech
„…in five minutes the time has come!“
„Please take a glass of this excellent French champagne that our marines were able to confiscate in Kwang-Chou-Wan.“
„May it be the right drink to welcome the New Year…“
He didn't get any further. Everyone heard the thunderclap, then the smell of water droplets pattering on the deck. Irritated, the officers of the Tsukuba looked at each other. No thunderstorm was predicted, on the contrary, the night was to be completely clear and calm.
There was a knock at the door, the orderly stepped in and Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi took a note out of the radio room.
Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi read the news, raised his head, and snorted:
„Message from cruiser Tatsuta: Are being shot at by enemy battleships and are now returning fire!“
>> Night Battle in the Gulf of Tonkin, 31 December 1921 <<
Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi ran to the bridge, but from there he could only see flashes of gunage and dark outlines. Which of the ships was Japanese and which was French was not recognizable. It looked as if the two fleets had driven into the middle of each other without expecting a battle.
Presumably, the French had gathered in the mess as well as he and his officers, although Taguchi doubted that the French had much reason to celebrate.
Rather, the French had thought that New Year's Eve would be a good time for an unexpected advance. This was the third unexpected French initiative in a row. They had this aggressiveness ahead of the English and Russians, you had to give them that.
Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi decided to throw everything available against the enemy. If there really were battleships there, he had to attack with everything he had. Individual flotillas would certainly be outgunned and more and more ships were sighted - they could not all be his destroyers.
He decided to open up and take the opponent in the pincers. So he had to spread his fire on two sides, while the Japanese could concentrate their full fighting power on an enemy battle line!
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The enemy squadron leader also acted quite sensibly for the moment, apart from the fact that he tried to run away. Two battleships and five destroyers had been sighted and the destroyers took their wards neatly in the middle. Of course, ten destroyers would have been better, but the opponent probably didn't have the means for that.
Then more shadows came into view, and now Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi understood what was going on.
That was a convoy!
The French tried to bring in fresh forces or at least supplies and he had unexpectedly got into the cover formation. Of course, the French squadron commander had to get to his freighters quickly to make sure that no other Japanese ships were rushing in from the north and taking everything in a pincer.
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The situation became completely confusing. Everyone seemed to be shooting at everyone here. Water columns rose everywhere and more and more ships came into view. The superior firepower of the French battleships was the first to be felt by the Japanese destroyers.
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Then the Japanese got their own medicine to feel. The light cruiser Tatsuta was engaged in combat with three destroyers when it was hit amidships by a torpedo that tore the hull wide open. But the Japanese also had justified hopes. They simply had to fire torpedoes in series in all directions and would almost certainly hit something. Which was the case on a Republique-class battleship.
Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi received the message that cruiser Tatsuta had taken large amounts of water and could not be saved!
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The battle became deserted and Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi gave the order to concentrate fire on the two battleships. Only when these ships were sunk was the greatest danger eliminated and the cargo ships could be attacked in peace.
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For the moment, Japan had the advantage because it could literally flood the water with torpedoes with its large number of destroyers. In this way, ships were hit that had not been discovered at all until the hit. But the more their own ships got into the trajectories of the torpedoes of other Japanese destroyers, the more the advantage dwindled.
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The water was bubbling and boiling, and it was difficult to say what would happen next.
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Gradually, however, the success of the Japanese torpedo weapon became apparent. Numerous ships had been hit and the battleships in particular had received heavy hits. Although the French destroyers could respond with their torpedoes at any time, they risked hitting their own freighters.
The Japanese would have accepted this risk, but the French apparently did not!
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The Tatsuta slowly dragged away from the combat zone, but despite the slow speed, the situation deteriorated noticeably. The pitch was now so large that the lifeboats could no longer be deployed, but the order to leave the ship had not yet been given.
>> Night Battle in the Gulf of Tonkin, 31 December 1921 <<
Actually, Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi could be satisfied. The French battleships had to take one torpedo hit after another, but then the enemy showed his will to fight. The victim was the destroyer Miyuki, who was literally blown out of the water after the broadside of one of the battleships and immediately began to sink.
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But the dying did not only affect the Miyuki. Japan would lose more today than a single destroyer, Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi had to take note of that now. But the French freighters had also been hit hard. Some had already sunk, others it was only a matter of minutes.
There was no infantry in the water, but numerous crates, which probably contained supplies.
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The French commanders had learned one thing from the Japanese:
A ship is not sunk until it is sunk!
The French destroyers did something very useful, they chased the battered Japanese ships. For their possibilities, this was the best they could do. Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi did not want to watch his crews being shot down, as the Japanese usually did with their opponents, and used the Tsukuba as a fighter.
Strike fast and hard and then disappear was after all the design principle of a battlecruiser. Here he was able to apply it, even if it wasn't supposed to be against destroyers.
Meanwhile, no good news came from the destroyer flotillas that chased the battleships. The Voltaire-class battleship had already shot down the third Japanese destroyer within a few minutes, two of which were sinking.
This battleship fought back with all its might, even though it was already very badly hit itself.
This commander - probably the squadron leader or even the commander of the French East Asia Squadron - presumably Taguchi - sold himself at the highest price!
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At twenty-four minutes past midnight, the expected message came from the cruiser Tatsuta that the ship was sinking and the crew had been ordered to disembark. In his report, the commander expressed his gratitude to Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi for the chance to wage an honorable fight for the emperor and announced that he would go down with the Tatsuta.
It was the first day of the year nineteen hundred and twenty-two, and after many successes, the year was ushered in for Japan with the loss of a cruiser. Truly, Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi thought, this was a fireworks display at the turn of the year that he had not expected.
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The message from the destroyers was better. After a series of heavy torpedo hits, the Voltaire-class battleship had almost completely stopped fighting.
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Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi went from hunter to hunted with the Tsukuba when a French destroyer carried out a frontal attack. Surely he wanted to chase a volley of torpedoes into the hull of the Tsukuba from close range. However, after a few well-placed hits by the Tsukuba medium artillery, the destroyer turned away.
However, it is possible that his torpedoes were already in the water!
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After a hard rudder manoeuvre, the danger was probably averted, but the destroyer took advantage of the turning of the Tsukuba to make off with the dust. After that, the battle frayed. Everywhere they tried to sink everything that was still sponge, but the opponent tried the same.
There could no longer be any question of an order of battle!
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The battle was divided into individual battles. It couldn't go on like this. Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi ordered all units to gather for battle order. At least to all units that were still able to do so.
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After the flotillas were halfway in line, Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi ordered to make short work of the remaining freighters. He quickly noticed that the artillery fire from all ships, including the rest of the enemy ships, was sporadic and not very accurate. After less than an hour of exhausting night fighting, the crews were noticeably tired and ammunition supplies began to decline on all ships. Individual guns of the destroyers were already without ammunition, so that a continuation of the battle would only be possible for a limited time.
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North of the combat zone, three seemingly fresh destroyers of the enemy were unexpectedly reported. Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi feared the unlocking of a second guard unit, which had previously cleared up to the north and was now returning. For their own ships, this could now become a real problem. However, these destroyers did not seem to want to intervene in the fight. As quickly as these destroyers had emerged from the darkness, they settled back into the darkness.
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Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi had his „best“ destroyers enlighten to the north, whether there was more to be expected from there than just destroyers? But he knew that the battle was coming to an end. Should further enemy capital ships be discovered in the north, his squadron would no longer be able to fight with them.
He would give the order to expire shortly!
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Then the three destroyers reappeared. They hadn't turned off, but seemed to be looking for the battleships. The Japanese 8th Destroyer Flotilla ran directly in front of their bow coming from the north. However, due to a lack of sufficient torpedoes and a small number of shells, the Japanese 8th Destroyer Flotilla evaded it.
The enemy, however, sought the battle!
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The Japanese 8th Destroyer Flotilla attacked the enemy with everything possible and was more fortunate than the French. The leading destroyer of the Espingole-class took a number of hits. The remnants of the Japanese 6th Destroyer Flotilla joined the Japanese 8th Destroyer Flotilla and thus at least had a clear numerical superiority.
+ + +
This preponderance was noticeable and the French destroyer crews seemed to value their lives more than the fight. The three destroyers turned away. The Japanese destroyers followed suit!
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At least the destroyer of the Espengole class could be shot down. This is what the Japanese destroyers focused on. Then Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi gave the order to all ships to gather out to leave!
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To the south, another unknown ship appeared, but it evaded a fight at high speed. Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi first wanted to let go of the enemy, when a second ship came into sight, he changed his mind. However, since these ships were running north at full steam, Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi did not risk dragging out the battle again.
+ + +
The next few hours passed without further events and after daybreak Kaigun-shōshō Hisamori Taguchi declared the battle over.
