Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin was satisfied. The Royal Navy definitely didn't have a good day today. Before Wēihǎiwèi it was a surprise attack, you couldn't count that. But today the Imperial Japanese Navy had to deal with a potentially superior and fully combat-ready opponent and was about to take down the most powerful ship. The crews of the torpedo boats, however, might judge it differently.
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The approach to the enemy battleship started excellently, but the other ships of the Royal Navy were also in a problematic situation.
Author’s note: Here you can see very nicely the "smoke screen" of the British.
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By Japanese standards, the torpedo attack went badly. Instead, the British had zeroed in on their goals.
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There was no time to lick wounds, they still had the momentum for themselves.
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The persistence was rewarded. Two torpedo hits in both sides of the hull were a clear signal to the enemy, especially since a protected cruiser was also hit by a torpedo.
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The Akigumo passed its target barely a hundred yards away and the crew saw a gaping hole in the hull of the giant. But there was not much time to take a closer look at the ship. Another torpedo was shot out of a launcher by the Akigumo, which ran straight towards its target and hit.
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All in all, however, more torpedoes missed the intended target than the Imperial Japanese Navy was used to so far. The Royal Navy was definitely a more difficult opponent than the Tsarist fleet of old. This was also due to the fact that the enemy torpedo boats seemed to take their task as escort ships seriously. Unlike the Russians, they did not simply abandon their capital ships.
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The battleship was anything but badly damaged, but it was rapidly losing speed. Apparently, it had hit the machine system. So this goal was now a found food. Only the torpedo stock was a problem. Many torpedo boats had already been shot almost empty.
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Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin watched the whole thing from a distance. He didn't want to risk hitting his own ships, as they were far too close to the enemy. The Sagami and Azuma therefore killed the last remaining troop transports and everything that could be safely taken under fire.
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The torpedo boats started a new attempt and at the same time tried not to get caught in the crossfire between the battleship and the British torpedo boats. Nevertheless, heavy hits on the Japanese side were not absent.
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The Japanese 7th Reconnaissance Division had now been instructed to employ the British torpedo boats so that the Japanese torpedo boats could attack the Royal Navy battleship in peace.
The maneuvers on the Japanese side worked almost like clockwork. While the torpedo boats torpedoed the battleship, the protected cruisers ensured that the enemy torpedo boats were pushed away.
At the same time, the cruisers attempted long-range shots at a ship of the line.
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The situation of the Oyashio changed dramatically, although the commander had already reduced the speed to four knots. The loss of the Oyashio must be expected at any time.
But the situation was also critical on other torpedo boats.
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Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin looked anxiously at the horizon to the east. Dusk was imminent and the capital ships of the Royal Navy were all battered but combat-ready. A night battle could quickly reverse its hitherto outstanding success.
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It was time to bring the battle to an end. All units that still had torpedoes should use them as quickly as possible, then they would have to break away from the enemy. But one thing was already certain. The Empire had lost thousands of soldiers. It might well be at least one complete division. For the siege of Hong Kong, this could be the decisive moment.
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However, this energy-sapping struggle took further toll on the part of Japan.
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Then the twilight came faster than Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin would have liked. Now it was necessary to escape unscathed, without his battle fleet falling victim to British torpedoes during the night.
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The battle became calmer, but continued. There were isolated hits by light artillery on friend and foe, but all in all, the deteriorating visibility conditions were clearly noticeable.
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Then Akigumo, who was under heavy fire herself, reported the first big catch of the day. One of the ships of the line of the Royal Navy capsized and sank!
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It was the last report from the Akigumo before the torpedo boat was torn apart by a British torpedo and also sank.
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The torpedo hit on the Akigumo was confirmation for Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin to abort the battle and run its course. From now on, the success could only be diminished. There was justified hope that the remaining British capital ships were already so badly damaged that they would not reach port even without further shelling.
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The drop-off manoeuvre began at nightfall.
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The protected cruisers were to remain behind for the time being as a cover formation and prevent a possible follow-up of the British torpedo boats. However, the loss of the badly damaged Japanese torpedo boats could not be prevented.
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The protected cruisers soon made contact with the enemy, but it quickly became clear that it had to be the battered British battleship. If the British torpedo boats are not already nearby, perhaps this enemy could be sunk here for good.
The protected cruisers began the run, but the manoeuvre was in vain. Even before one of the cruisers could get into position, the crews saw how the huge monster suddenly began to roll, capsized to starboard and within seconds was keel on top of them.
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That was enough, now the protected cruisers also turned around. If the British torpedo boats really did follow, they would probably start salvage measures immediately and no longer pose a danger.
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The Yugiri remained motionless and took large quantities of water.
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In the meantime, rough seas prevailed and for the badly damaged Japanese torpedo boats, this was tantamount to a death sentence.
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About three hours after midnight, Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin felt safe from further enemy attacks and declared the battle over. That this was a mistake became the Hamanami undoing. The torpedo boat did not notice the danger, nor did any other Japanese ship.
The Hamanami exploded with a violent bang when a British submarine torpedo detonated in the torpedo boat's magazine.
>> Memorandum of Kaigun-chūjō Ijūin Gorō on the Battle of Hainan on May 9, 1914 <<
Distinguished officers and members of the 大本営 (Daihon'ei),
the failure to bombard the British garrison of Hong Kong must in no way be blamed on the commanding officer Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin. The culprits for this failure, which cost the lives of hundreds of our brave soldiers, are, to my shame, to be found in the investigation. Our spies did a good job, but it turned out that there were unsustainable delays in the chain of command.
This disgraceful behavior in dealing with information that is important to the war, if not decisive for the war, is ultimately to my detriment. I have already instructed that the head of the intelligence department in Formosa be removed from his post.
We can be proud that we had such an outstanding commander in the right place at the right time in Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin.
Only an officer with such tactical skill and experience as Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin was able to wrest such a clear defeat from a far superior enemy, although he did not have to reckon with this opponent.
We have proven that the Royal Navy is not invincible. Nevertheless, in this conflict, it is not success at sea that counts, but victory on land. We must intensify our efforts to capture Wēihǎiwèi and Hong Kong. To do this, we need more troops in battle, but we also need further support from the sea side with our heavy guns.
I therefore ask the 大本営 (Daihon'ei) to give priority to the deployment of additional troops and to agree to a renewed push to bombard Hong Kong.
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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, 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 Hainan on May 9, 1914 of that year.
Long live the Rengō Kantai, long live the Imperial Japanese Navy, long live the Emperor!
Kaigun-chūjō Ijūin Gorō, May 10, 1914
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Extra sheet of the Tōkyō Shinbun from Sunday, May 10, 1914
>> Rengō Kantai beats overpowering opponents! <<
Our Glorious Navy sank the British battleship HMS Glory during an unexpected head-on encounter with the Royal Navy!
The noble Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin has succeeded with his much weaker squadron in sinking an entire British troop transport convoy, including two battleships of the Royal Navy present as escorts. However, the Navy regrets having to admit that it has also lost a few torpedo boats.
The Minister of the Navy personally took responsibility for the loss of the torpedo boats and announced that a memorial would be erected for all torpedo boats ever lost. According to information from this newspaper, these are the following ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy:
However, the Minister of the Navy did not explain in more detail which design this memorial should be. Instead, the assembled journalists of the world press were impressively demonstrated how superior the British battleships had been to the Japanese warships. The Secretary of the Navy has released a bundle of information that we do not want to withhold from the public:
Unfortunately, our brave soldiers off Hong Kong were unable to take advantage of the success of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The fighting for Hong Kong continues with bitter severity and there is no end in sight.
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Editorship of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Sunday, May 10, 1914
Osaki Satoshi knew a lot more than he wanted to publish after visiting the Kempeitai. He had received several independent messages from his informants, which he had meanwhile distributed in important places throughout the region. This started at the Suez Canal and reached via Colombo to Singapore.
It was not easy to pass on the reports and he wondered how the secret service would do it? But he had still been able to put together a clear Picture from the individual parts. And this Picture said that the situation in Southeast Asia threatened to tip over in less than two weeks.
The British shipping space on its way to Asia was impressive!
He wondered how the Japanese fleet could stand up to this, but in view of the recent success, at least this did not seem impossible. As long as the Royal Navy brought in its forces only piecemeal, the enemy lacked what it was – numerical superiority in all areas. But if the British squadrons in India wait until the rest of the fleet arrived and then march together to Asia, it will be unpleasant for Japan.
However, the information from Colombo said that the ships were under steam. This spoke against waiting for the rest of the fleet.
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There was no denying that the leadership of the Royal Navy was under enormous pressure. They urgently needed a comprehensive victory against Japan. Satoshi noted the losses of the Royal Navy known so far on a piece of paper:
That was something!
If the great European nations were shocked by the outcome of the Russo-Japanese Wars, they did not have a high opinion from either side. Both the Russian navy and that of Japan were considered bad, too small and incompetently led. This gave the naval leadership of the Empire, in Berlin and Washington, a good explanation as to why Japan was able to destroy the Russian fleet. They were simply equally bad opponents.
So there was no need to worry about the Imperial Japanese Navy for a really large and well-managed fleet. This arrogance of the supreme commanders had to be regretted by the local commanders of the Royal Navy.
Gradually, it dawned on the British, as well as other Europeans, that a new naval power was growing with Japan!
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Extra sheet of the Tōkyō Shinbun from Sunday, May 10, 1914
The extra sheet of the morning about the great victory of the fleet was completely sold. The printing presses were in the process of reprinting the edition, so these messages were outdated. In the early afternoon, the first information leaked out, then there was the official announcement. The printing presses were stopped and hurriedly another extra sheet came to light, which had no time to dry!
>> Events are coming thick and fast – victory – victory – Wēihǎiwèi is Japanese again! <<
The General Staff of the Imperial Japanese Army has announced that the flag of Japan will fly over the former British colony of Wēihǎiwèi from now on and for all time! In a brutal assault, the Japanese soldiers succeeded in driving the British defenders out of their positions and putting them to flight.
Shortly afterwards, the British garrison commander declared unconditional surrender and asked for mercy for his emaciated troops. In an act of great charity, Rikugun-chūjō Kawamura Sogoro, the commander of the Japanese 9th Division, has accepted the surrender and begun caring for the surviving soldiers of the Empire.
Editors of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Tuesday, June 2, 1914
The Navy made a big fuss about the fact that the U-boats were now able to inflict unpleasant losses on the enemy. Secretly, quietly and quietly, the Ministry of the Navy, on the other hand, tried to deal with another report.
The design bureau of the 小野浜造船所 (Onohama Zōsenjo) (Kure Naval Shipyard) had completed the development contract for a new type of ship and the Navy reportedly wanted to start with the detailed design immediately. In the past, the navy had had new designs extensively checked by its own designers, but this time a construction contract was to be awarded as soon as possible.
Osaki Satoshi had learned that several engineers from the naval design department had not only been dismissed because of their criticism of this procedure, but the engineers had even been imprisoned.
For the Navy, it seemed more important to put a copy of this new type into service at all than that it was a reliable design. Satoshi seethed with anger that he could not even publish hints about this information. If the navy was already imprisoning its own people, he might be threatened with worse.
Times changed for the Japanese press. It was noticeable that the current rulers were not interested in open reporting.
Secrecy and patriotism were the new doctrine.
Satoshi and all his colleagues felt this very clearly!
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From the War Chronicles of Imperial Japan:
>> Second Battle of Hainan, June 10, 1914 <<
Four weeks had passed and Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin was back at sea with the Sagami, heading for Hong Kong. After the success against the British troop convoy, the naval leadership had become more cautious. In fact, the 聯合艦隊 (Rengō Kantai) had been withheld. Someone had picked up rumors that the Royal Navy was planning a massive retaliatory strike against Tōkyō himself. Other rumors said the attack would be aimed at the docks of the Kure naval shipyard.
Whether the rumors ever contained a kernel of truth did not matter, the navy remained in its home waters with a strong contingent. The fact that two troop convoys reached Hong Kong during this time was the logical consequence of Japan's passive behavior. The siege troops themselves were now under pressure and action had to be taken. Once again, the shelling of Hong Kong was planned, after all, the plans for it were already in place. Japan wanted to counter the growing threat with doubled firepower at the target. The Japanese 5th Battle Division now consisted of the Sagami and the Iki, and Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin was eager to fulfill his mission this time.
He was not to succeed again!
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Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin had finished his breakfast with a cup of Yasmin tea, the aroma of which he could still taste on his tongue. He was firmly convinced of a successful day until the first officer came to him with a radio message.
The reconnaissance reported British ship movements off Hainan.
He already believed in a mix-up. The radio operator must have accidentally gotten his hands on the old message from the previous month. But the news was completely different. Here there was clearly talk of a combat unit. Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin immediately had combat readiness established.
Japanese 5th Battle Division:
Standard ship of the Line Sagami (Flagship)
Standard ship of the Line Iki
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Japanese 9th Cruiser Division:
Armoured cruiser Azuma
Armoured cruiser Kasuga
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Japanese 7th Reconnaissance Division:
Protected Cruiser Yaeyama
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Japanese 11th Reconnaissance Division:
Protected cruiser Chitose, Itsukushima
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Japanese 13th Reconnaissance Division:
Protected Cruiser Kasagi
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Japanese 6th Torpedo Boat Flotilla:
Torpedo boats: Shirakumo, Okikaze
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Japanese 8th Torpedo Boat Flotilla:
Torpedo boats: Hokaze, Yukaze
Japanese 12th Torpedo Boat Flotilla:
Torpedo boats: Teruzuki, Hamanami, Makinami
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Japanese 14th Torpedo Boat Flotilla:
Torpedo boats: Naganami, Fujinami, Okinami
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Armoured cruiser Azuma – lead ship of the Japanese 9th Cruiser Division
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Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin felt strange. The situation seemed like a dream to him and yet it was real. The same mission, the same situation – were the British so stubborn and inflexible, or was it a trap?
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If it was a trap, the Royal Navy would expect the same course as a month ago. Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin decided not to steer for the position in question this time. He kept his distance and would give him a wide berth. If the Royal Navy were to wait for him and become impatient, he might be able to fall into their flank. But all in all, he knew that this could all be wrong.
It was just before half past nine in the morning and there was nothing in sight. A few snow-white clouds were carried across the sky by a gentle breeze and nowhere did a black patch of clouds indicate the presence of enemy ships.
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As before, his impatience prevailed. Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin ordered the protected cruiser Yaeyama to the transmitted coordinates – just in case...
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At half past eleven the confirmation came from the Yaeyama – unknown ship in sight – in the immediate vicinity where the radio reconnaissance had suspected the enemy!
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Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin immediately had all units turn towards the presumed enemy position, and further sighting reports quickly came from the Yaeyama.
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To the astonishment of Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin, the enemy fled and the distance between his main force and the enemy shrank only imperceptibly or even increased.
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But then a second group of ships stormed directly towards the Japanese squadron from the north.
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It took barely a minute before a more precise message came from the Yaeyama:
Enemy battleship is heading towards us at high speed!
Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin thought again: Was this a trap?
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Now the first group turned back and united with the second group. The battleship opened fire on the Yaeyama. The escape seemed to be only feigned, the Royal Navy pooled its forces – and there were two battleships of the Royal Navy in the formation!
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Both battleships turned around to be able to fire at the Japanese attackers with the maximum number of gunners.
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The situation worsened when British ships of the line were identified.
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But then this large and clearly superior unit turned north and seemed to flee again.
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And again there was this feeling – this déjà vu – as more ships came into view in the north. It was again exactly like four weeks earlier.
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Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin didn't know what to think of the situation? In front of him he had no less than four powerful enemy capital ships with numerous protected cruisers and torpedo boats as escorts and the enemy fled. Were these other battleships in the north with which the British wanted to unite?
Had these been three separate battle groups looking for him, who wanted to gather together now that they had found him?
Northwards, more and more ships appeared and Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin had to smile about what he should think of the situation?
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Then the battle began with a skirmish of the torpedo boats.
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Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin didn't know if he had misread? The report of the Yaeyama indicated that ships were moving slowly in four columns. This was the typical formation for a convoy of cargo ships. Was that a trick or had he been led to a convoy by the British again?
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After all, the following column immediately turned around and behaved like a flotilla of warships. The rest, however, steamed away. If these were battleships that wanted to unite with the rest of the fleet, it didn't make sense.
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One of the ships was now addressed as an armoured cruiser. So a third squadron of warships after all?
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It seemed to be confirmed when the lead ship of this column was classified as a ship of the line. Now everything pointed to a planned ambush by the Royal Navy.
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The large gunships seemed to want to unite, while three British torpedo boats blocked the way of the Japanese attack leadership and forced them to turn away. This was probably to buy the battleships time to get into line formation.
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The Royal Navy's defensive maneuver was successful. For the moment, the Japanese 10th Torpedo Boat Flotilla had to break off the pursuit.
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Then the first technical problems became apparent due to the high speed levels of all Japanese warships. The Naganami could not keep up the speed any longer and fell behind.
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In the end, however, the confirmation came for what Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin had already subliminally suspected. The Oshio identified the ships in the north as cargo ships. Could that be? Was the Royal Navy so stupid?
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The British squadron was clearly too powerful for a convoy escort. For a battle group, however, there were far too many old torpedo boats in the formation, which tended to slow down the modern battleships. The situation was strange.
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Again, the British capital ships headed directly for the freighters, but the pursuit proved difficult because the British torpedo boats carried out constant jamming manoeuvres.
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At least there was now certainty about the enemy. The main force consisted of two battleships, two ships of the line and an armoured cruiser. In addition, there were at least twelve torpedo boats. It was also thought-provoking that the majority of vans were classified as trade offenders.
Then it dawned Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin. If the Royal Navy really wanted to set a trap for him, it was only logical that the convoy consisted entirely of armed merchant ships and thus represented a difficult bait to digest.
Gradually, the messages were corrected and Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin now knew what was going to happen. Again, clearly superior forces of the Royal Navy fled in the direction of their wards and he was almost sure again the transports would be abandoned by the enemy.
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At least the British torpedo boats tried their best to take the battleships out of focus, but thus got to feel that the Japanese artillery fire was not so bad.
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Nevertheless, the Japanese torpedo boats managed to catch up. Even if the first serious enemy hits occurred.
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Completely unexpectedly, the enemy battleships turned around and sought the fight. Was it really to be different this time?
At least the enemy battle line immediately gets the worse hits!
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One was particularly unpleasant for Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin. His old ships of the line were not even remotely able to keep up with the speed of the enemy. He was far behind and could therefore practically not support his torpedo boats.
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The Japanese torpedo boats, which had already been badly hit, tried to use their torpedoes as much as possible before their retreat, if only to bring the British formation into disarray.
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The Oshio, as the leading torpedo boat, felt the concentrated defences.
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This time, the British squadron commander in charge did not seem to want to sell himself as cheaply as he had done four weeks earlier.
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But then one of the rather haphazardly fired torpedoes actually managed to hit one of the British ships of the line. While the Japanese torpedo boat flotillas now set about pincing the two British battleships, which were without shielding.
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Although the British torpedo boats were no longer busy pushing off the Japanese attackers, the earlier attempts had also been halfway successful. The Japanese torpedo boat flotillas were in each other's way. Nevertheless, everyone tried to torpedo the two battleships in front of them. And they succeeded!
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Now it was time to step up as long as the chances were so good. In the vicinity of the two gigantic British ships, death sentences against torpedo boats were quickly carried out.
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The enemy was battered and completely out of formation. Like a pack of wolves, the Japanese torpedo boats invaded the enemy formation. The water was teeming with torpedoes in all possible directions, so that the ships of the Royal Navy were unable to get back into an orderly battle line. The British torpedo boats shielded the old ships of the line that had been hit first.
Had that been a misjudgement by the opponent? Did the British think the ships of the line were the target and that the modern battleships would also cope well on their own?
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The British torpedo boats began to lay a veil of fog to shield the ships of the line. However, the attention of the Japanese torpedo boats and protected cruisers was on the two battleships, which could not resist this excess number of ships. It was only a matter of time before more torpedoes would unleash the batters on both ships. One of the two battleships, hit by three torpedoes, began to lose speed.
Then came the thunderclap of five torpedo hits in one fell swoop!
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Whatever the day would bring, one thing was already clear – the Royal Navy would lose at least two modern battleships – more than anything the Royal Navy could do to the Japanese today!
The Okikaze almost crashed into the bow of HMS Albion, which had now been exactly identifiable. At the shortest distance, all operational torpedoes were squeezed out of the launchers to seal the fate of the battleship.
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But the Japanese torpedo boats and cruisers also had to take further losses.
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The sea was boiling and from a distance friend and foe could hardly be distinguished.
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Finally, the British escorts intervened again in the defensive fight, but it was too late. There was chaos and you could almost smell an imminent boarding fight. The opponents were scattered all over the place, but the Imperial Japanese Navy had an advantage:
The Japanese were able to shoot anywhere without recklessness and, with bad luck, hit their own torpedo boat. The Royal Navy could also shoot anywhere and probably risk hitting its own capital ships!
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At least one thing could be said this time: this opponent attracted attention, which bought the cargo ships time.
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The Japanese tactic of flooding the sea with torpedoes worked. Constantly some torpedo came dangerously close to some ship and some of them found a valuable target.
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Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin was finally able to catch up because the enemy ships hit had clearly lost speed. His armored cruisers were already able to intervene in the battle. With his ships of the line, he would need some more time for this.
After a look at the nautical chart with the ship's positions, he had an idea!
Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin could already assume that the British capital fighting ships were defeated. His torpedo boats only had to deal the death blow to these ships, and hardly anyone could have serious doubts about that.
Certainly one or the other torpedo boat would be lost in the process, but the naval command has taken that into account in the meantime. But there were still the hitherto unmolested cargo ships that tried to get away. He saw his chance in circumnavigating the enemy battle group at a long distance and attacking the freighters directly with his armoured cruisers and ships of the line.
While the torpedo boats continued to occupy the enemy, he tried to put this idea into practice.
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It was somewhat unusual that enemy protected cruisers were repeatedly hit during this battle. But the explanation was quickly found. These ships fought, or at least tried to. The protected cruisers of the Russians had mostly retreated quickly. You could tell that the Royal Navy had a different quality, even if not a good one either.
For this, British torpedo boats tried to torpedo the Kasagi and at least the manoeuvres for this were very good. So far, only success has been missing.
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The battle for the battleships continued to go in Japan's favor.
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At least one torpedo boat commander of the Royal Navy seemed to suspect what Japan's heavy combat ships intended to do. At least one torpedo boat went into an interception position to the Azuma and Kasuga.
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Three protected cruisers of Japan tried to put an end to the goings-on of this torpedo boat.
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The commander of the Azuma began to warm up his artillery and several hits were made on the nearby British battleship.
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The decisive weapon, however, were undisputedly the torpedoes.
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Then it was almost done. Although the Kasagi had to take heavy artillery hits, the cruiser came within range of the freighters. However, the commander immediately noticed that these ships were unusually high in the water.
It seemed as if these ships were not loaded and thus these freighters were what had been suspected several times. A bait for Japan.
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Then the armoured cruiser Kasuga put an end to HMS Albion. After a broadside with the 8inch guns, there was a small explosion, after which the mighty battleship began to roll and finally capsized.
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Then came the first loss for Japan. The torpedo boat Michishio had already been badly hit several times and now had to be abandoned after another direct hit by the enemy armoured cruiser.
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The bypass maneuver could be canceled. The resistance by the capital fighting ships of the Royal Navy had come to a standstill. The protected cruisers of Japan had long since broken through and began to fire at the cargo ships, and the Japanese armoured cruisers and ships of the line fired at everything that dared to move on warships from a distance.
The protected cruisers were now in the middle of the convoy, firing with everything at their disposal.
Only a few British torpedo boats visibly struggled to prevent the catastrophe. However, a good part of the British squadron watched without much effort as the capital ships were finally shot together.
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The British torpedo boats showed full commitment to the freighters, but paid for it with heavy hits. When the two Japanese armoured cruisers finally intervened in the shelling of the freighters, it was only a matter of time.
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The cargo ships didn't stand a chance. The armoured cruisers remained unmolested, the weak British forces concentrated on the Japanese protected cruisers.
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Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin could have been satisfied. His squadron had clearly had the upper hand and inflicted the second heavy blow on the Royal Navy in open naval battle. However, he already knew that he would not fulfill his actual mission again.
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However, the opponent tried to sell himself dearly. The British armoured cruiser had gradually set its sights on the protected cruisers of Japan.
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The protected cruisers now tried to attack the armoured cruiser in turn, but so far the latter has dealt out instead of taking it.
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The opponents were now in close proximity and the British 8inch guns were extremely effective against the Japanese cruisers at this distance. However, they use the opportunity for a torpedo attack - with success!
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Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin took note of the news of the sinking of the second British battleship with satisfaction. Almost at the same time, one of the ships of the line sank.
Now the last ship of the line was missing. For the Sagami and Iki, this is now an easy target.
+ + +
Then the Royal Navy struck back in the form of a successful torpedo attack on the Yaeyama.
The torpedo caused one of the magazines to explode, so that the Yaeyama was literally torn apart!
+ + +
Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin was almost directly on a level with the Yaeyama with the Sagami and he was standing at the window of the command post with his eyes wide open when he saw the huge black cloud, at the root of which organe-red flames were gnawing.
Certainly, a protected cruiser was much less important than a battleship, but for Japan, any loss of a ship larger than a torpedo boat was a problem.
Worse still, he would have to explain why Japans first large warship since the turn of the century had been lost under his command!
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At least his artillery crews were able to "let off steam" on the last British ship of the line.
+ + +
In fact, the last British ship of the line was already badly damaged, but it was still able to shoot back. And it did. The commander of the ship did his utmost to work with his ship against the enemy.
The British armoured cruiser was also anything but defeated after the torpedo hit, which was felt especially by the protected cruisers of Japan.
+ + +
The cruiser Kasagi and the torpedo boat Naganami were preparing to fire the British ship of the line, but the armoured cruisers Azuma and Kasuga also intended to take care of this enemy.
The Naganami paid for her project with a direct hit, but was able to use all four of her torpedoes beforehand.
+ + +
These torpedoes then also sealed the fate of this British ship.
+ + +
Much to the astonishment of the Japanese crews, many British torpedo boats and cruisers are busy rescuing survivors from the water rather than preventing the sinking of more ships.
+ + +
After all, some British torpedo boats were busy laying a new smokescreen between some of the freighters and the Japanese ships.
+ + +
The Kasagi, which was already considerably damaged itself, now also tried to torpedo the British ship of the line. However, he almost got caught in the artillery fire of the Azuma and had to dodge. Nevertheless, the torpedo attack was successful.
+ + +
The enemy ship of the line had received six torpedo hits within a very short time, plus several 8inch shells from the armoured cruisers and before that some 11inch shells from the Iki and Sagami.
Nevertheless, this ship made no attempt to sink!
+ + +
The battlefield now stretched over a distance of a good 55,000 yards and Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin had to realize that he could not work in places.
To the south, the torpedo boats appeared, which had been engaged in rescue operations. In the centre, the battle for the last British ship of the line was decided. North of the center, the protected cruisers of both sides fired at each other in a duel. To the west, the Sagami and Iki, covered by the Japanese 10th Torpedo Boat Flotilla, made their rounds and sank the freighters there. In the far west, several badly hit Japanese torpedo boats withdrew from the battle and in the east, several British torpedo boats and the armoured cruiser tried to shield at least part of the freighters.
The British ship of the line was a stubborn but doomed opponent. After the aft main tower failed, the resistance of the British ship decreased significantly.
+ + +
+ + +
About two and a half hours had passed since the opening of the fire. The last British ship of the line was badly damaged with a short speed and an obvious side in the water. Most of the cargo ships were sunk and only one column, which had so far been largely unmolested, tried to retreat under the protection of a few torpedo boats and the armoured cruiser.
The Imperial Japanese Navy was now able to launch the final attack.
+ + +
+ + +
Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin planned to carry out the attack on the remaining ships of the Royal Navy in formation as far as possible. The loss of the Yaeyama had shown how dangerous it was to have disorder in one's own ranks.
He pulled his ships together.
+ + +
Once again, the British commander suffered a total failure. While the remaining cargo ships moved north, the torpedo boats set off to rescue the crews of the sunken ships. For the Japanese squadron, the way was once again clear.
+ + +
Only a protected cruiser of the Royal Navy tried to attack the Japanese warships. Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin immediately sought battle with this enemy with the Sagami and Iki.
+ + +
Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin now attacked the cruiser with his ships of the line, which immediately fled and began to fog up, while the armoured cruisers began to fire at the freighters.
+ + +
+ + +
More and more ships reported dwindling ammunition stocks. Although it would certainly be enough for the transports, there were still numerous torpedo boats of the Royal Navy present, which were still fully combat-capable.
After all, the last ship of the line of the Royal Navy had finally sunk.
+ + +
Around 3 p.m. in the afternoon, it gradually became quieter on the battlefield. The Japanese torpedo boats were practically empty and began to retreat. The Sagami and Iki were still in battle with a protected cruiser and the Japanese armoured cruisers had almost completely sunk the last column of cargo ships. However, the armoured cruisers had to be careful not to be separated from the rest of the squadron.
The Royal Navy had enough ships to threaten the two armoured cruisers, which were accompanied by the damaged Kasagi.
+ + +
+ + +
In fact, almost all the remaining ships of the Royal Navy made their way to the Japanese armoured cruisers. However, only the torpedo boats were classified as a danger, although there were also protected cruisers and the visibly battered armoured cruiser.
The Japanese armoured cruisers swerved north, but sank more cargo ships in the process.
+ + +
At about half past four o'clock Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin decided that from this point on there was more to lose than to gain in this battle. He gave the order to the armoured cruisers to seek contact with his ships of the line in order to then run off together.
+ + +
+ + +
It was not until four o'clock that the enemy's protected cruiser finally came to rest and began to burn.
+ + +
The Japanese capital fighting ships were almost united when enemy torpedo boats and protected cruisers had caught up enough to be dangerous to the damaged Kasagi.
+ + +
Then the British commander decided to attack even the Japanese armoured cruisers. When they in turn set the first hits, however, the cruiser turned away.
+ + +
It was not until shortly before five o'clock in the evening that the enemy's protected cruiser sank after another torpedo hit by the Sagami.
+ + +
Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin was far too far north and far too far away to be able to recognize what was happening in the south. The enemy armoured cruiser, together with several companions, approached the badly damaged and departing Japanese torpedo boats.
Actually, these torpedo boats were already thought to be safe!
The most combative Japanese ship nearby was the protected cruiser Chitose, which immediately set an interception course.
+ + +
The British recognized the attack quite quickly and swung south. The torpedo boats were thus safe.
+ + +
To the surprise of the Japanese, the British armoured cruiser surprisingly lost speed and remained motionless. It could be a temporary engine failure, or the consequence of the battle damage from the hits hours before. It was the best opportunity to attack.
+ + +
The attack was successful. This also meant that the last larger warship of the Royal Navy was abandoned to destruction. An 8inch hit by the Azuma finished off the cruiser.
+ + +
The torpedo boats in the vicinity of the British cruiser retreated at full speed. Due to the impending twilight, Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin renounced the pursuit of the remaining British units. The battle was over.
>> Memorandum of Kaigun-chūjō Ijūin Gorō on the Second Battle of Hainan, June 10, 1914 <<
Distinguished officers and members of the 大本営 (Daihon'ei),
notwithstanding another and possibly even decisive success against our opponent – the Royal Navy – we have to regret the loss of the protected cruiser Yaeyama.
This event cannot be weighted heavily enough!
In other times, we would have to reprimand the commanding officer. However, due to the outstanding achievements of the said officer in the last four weeks, I ask the committee to refrain from a reprimand. Of course, the loss was caused negligently, but we all know that this can happen all too easily in a battle.
This war is far from over, and we need exactly such officers who fearlessly stand up to a far superior enemy. A rebuke could have a negative impact on the commanding Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin himself, as well as on our young officers. A false recoil out of fear of the high command in an upcoming battle could weigh more heavily than the loss of an important ship.
Of course, we must not forget the honorable deaths of hundreds of soldiers off Hong Kong who relied on seaborne shelling to support the assault. Although every man before Hong Kong was aware of the absence of this shelling, they nevertheless fulfilled their duty for the Emperor and fell on the field of honour for our Emperor.
Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin is aware of the consequences of his actions and he will certainly apologize personally before the 参謀本部 (Sambō hombu) to express the solidarity of the Navy with the soldiers of the army.
Despite this, Kaigun-chūjō Yamaya Tanin has asked to refrain from another command. Rather, he asks for release from his official duties in order to be able to pray in the 靖國神社 (Yasukuni Shrine) for the Japanese soldiers who have fallen through his fault over the course of a year.
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 Second Battle of Hainan on June 10, 1914 of that year.
Long live the Rengō Kantai, long live the Imperial Japanese Navy, long live the Emperor!
Kaigun-chūjō Ijūin Gorō, June 11, 1914
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Extra sheet of the Tōkyō Shinbun from Thursday, June 11, 1914
>> Rengō Kantai humiliates the Royal Navy! <<
Once again, our glorious Navy has succeeded in inflicting a crushing defeat on the enemy. In a fierce battle, no less than five enemy battleships and a large convoy with military supplies for besieged Hong Kong have been sunk.
Japan's losses were even lower than in the last naval battle four weeks ago.
It is speculated that this victory could have been the all-important blow to the British Empire.
Unfortunately, our brave soldiers off Hong Kong were once again unable to derive any direct benefit from the success of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The fighting for Hong Kong continues with bitter severity and the end is not in sight.
+ + +
Editorial office of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Thursday, June 11, 1914
Osaki Satoshi had received clear instructions not to mention the loss of the Yaeyama with a single syllable. This annoys him beyond measure, because the British were of course aware of this. Surely this circumstance would soon be in all the gazettes, that Japan's navy had suffered the greatest loss since the naval battle of Hakodate. And the naval battle of Hakodate was almost exactly 45 years ago and ushered in the final end of the 戊辰戦争, Boshin sensō (Boshin War).
Satoshi went into raptures when he thought about the Boshin War. That had been long before he was born. With the Boshin War, the time of the shogunate finally ended and the 明治維新 Meiji ishin (Meiji Restoration) led Japan into the modern age with a Western-influenced political system and lifestyle. Satoshi had to acknowledge that Japan had achieved a lot since the end of the 明治維新 Meiji ishin, and the last naval battle might have been something like the culmination of this achievement. Japan was now one of the great maritime powers, and he was sure that Japanese expansion was only just beginning.
Satoshi sighed softly and decided to search the archives for information about the 戊辰戦争 Boshin sensō. What was the difference between the modern Imperial Japanese Navy today and the shogunate and samurai militaries? With the 明治維新 Meiji ishin, the status of the samurai also ended, but it often seemed to him that the soldiers and sailors of modern Japan behaved exactly like samurai. Despising death for their ruler, they went into battle to win bravely or die honorably.
There were probably connections from the old samurai and their traditions to the soldiers of the 大日本帝國 Dai-Nihon Teikoku, he wanted to do some research on that.
+ + +
He had to stop dreaming and focus again on the situation in the current war. Nominally, the Royal Navy was still the strongest navy in the world, but the Royal Navy also had tasks to perform around the world. So it was not possible to pull all the ships of the Royal Navy together in one place.
In Southeast Asia, the navy was still superior to Her Majesty and further reinforcements were on the way. However, if the Imperial Japanese Navy were to order the battle fleet from Japan to Southeast Asia, the ratio would tip in Japan's favor.
That was the question:
Did the naval leadership have the courage to withdraw the fleet from home waters?
With the loss of Wēihǎiwèi, the Royal Navy now lacked its base of operations in Northeast Asia. This had made extensive operations for the Royal Navy in Japanese waters almost impossible. So what spoke against relocating the fleet to the south?
+ + +
Then one of his informants burst into the editorial office and the man was wounded. Narrowly escaping his captors, he wanted to pass on his information to Satoshi immediately before he was caught.
It was not very exciting that the navy had commissioned a whole series of new constructions, about which the man did not know much either. But one design stood out and he was able to give details about it. It was actually a freighter, but there were supposed to be strange superstructures on the aft deck. Satoshi listened carefully to everything and took notes. When his informant had been smuggled out of the building accompanied by two reliable employees of the editorial office, he sat down at his desk and drew a sketch on a sheet of paper...
Ministry of Navy of the Imperial Japanese Navy – Friday, June 12, 1914
Navy Minister Saitō Makoto didn't really know how to start. The navy was entering new territory and a navy on land lacked the connection to its element!
Now it did not concern the element of earth, but the element of air, but that weighed just as heavily in this case.
Apart from the minister, all seasoned representatives of their profession were present and all had worry lines on their foreheads. Kaigun-chūjō Ijūin Gorō and Kaigun-chūjō Katō Tomosaburō were also assembled.
Some facts were quickly created, because at least it was understood that this topic had to be professionalized. In the future, there would be the Kaigun Kōkū Hombu (Imperial Japanese Naval Aviation Bureau). This was to play a decisive role in the establishment of the 帝国海軍航空隊, Teikoku Kaigun Kōkūtai (Imperial Japanese Naval Air Force).
What was missing were personal details!
You couldn't just entrust a deserving kaigun-shōshō or kaigun-daisa with the leadership functions. That would have been normal, but Kaigun-chūjō Katō Tomosaburō of all people thought it was wrong. Kaigun-chūjō Katō Tomosaburō was a pedantic specialist in the development of the fleet – the types of ships. But that's exactly why he knew that the Imperial Japanese Naval Air Force needed just such a pedant, and none of the current senior officers of the Imperial Japanese Navy could claim that on the subject.
It was clear to him that flying was new territory for all nations!
No other nation – not even the British Empire – was ahead of Japan in this respect. There was therefore the opportunity to play in a leading position in aviation from the very beginning. But only if you set the right course right now.
It was about time, because two trend-setting decisions had to be made. The Navy had received proposals from several companies for Japan's first flying boat. But which one should you take?
All those present realized that the question was still very simple in this case, because Kawasaki's design was superior to the designs of Aichi and Mitsubishi in all areas. But everyone understood that this would not stay that way. Who was to judge whether firepower was more important than maneuverability? Or was only the range of a flying boat that mattered? How would that be answered with other types?
A newly founded company – the Nakajima Aircraft Company – offered an aircraft designed for air combat. Should we accept this offer? Were the promised performance data realistic? Or was it all just the fantasy of a young engineer? Apart from this idea, this company had nothing, not even a proper office!
They would also accept this offer.
Better to risk a failure that brought experience than to stand there empty-handed!
But in the future it had to get better.
The task was set: Find suitable personnel for the 帝国海軍航空隊 Teikoku Kaigun Kōkūtai!
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Morning edition of the Tōkyō Shinbun of Friday, June 26, 1914
>> Royal Navy is defeated in the cruiser war! <<
As it became known yesterday, the British cruiser HMS Cleopatra has been interned in China. HMS Cleopatra was previously able to sink the freighter Hisagawa Maru. However, while fleeing from our navy, the cruiser ran out of coal, so that the commander felt compelled to call at the neutral port of Shanghai. The Chinese government then detained the cruiser. In a statement by the Chinese government, it was said that the internment is to be understood as a punitive measure because of the continuing humiliation of China by the British Empire.
In return, submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy have succeeded in sinking nine enemy freighters in the region of East Asia and India. According to reports from Europe, the successful Japanese cruiser war is already leading to shortages in the Empire.
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Morning edition of the Tōkyō Shinbun of Tuesday, July 21, 1914
>> Royal Navy avoids fighting! <<
In recent weeks, the Royal Navy has refused to fight! Since the sinking of numerous battleships and the siege of Hong Kong, the Royal Navy seems to lack the fighting power or the will to fight. And even if the Royal Navy accepts a fight, the local skippers retreat without visual contact.
Japan now dominates the East Asian waters!
Author's note: As you can see, there was a skirmish here. However, since nothing happened, we spare ourselves and the regency the 2,700,000 screenshots of this epic clash
+ + +
>> New ships for the fleet <<
Navy Minister Saitō Makoto announced yesterday that the Imperial Fleet has ordered twelve new torpedo boats from the 小野浜造船所 Onohama Zōsenjo (Kure Naval Shipyard) to compensate for the war losses. The minister spoke of a torpedo boat Hakaze, which suggests a new design. The minister did not disclose further details about this Hakaze class.
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Editors of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Tuesday, July 21, 1914
Osaki Satoshi was angry. He had tried to find out what to think of the new class of torpedo boats. He had received some key data, but no information about the appearance of these boats. Numbers were good, but in a newspaper, Pictures of construction plans or even photos were much better. With numbers he could reach the better educated Japanese, but in order to make mass he had to serve the common people and there he needed Pictures!
After all, he now also knew that the Navy was already planning a new battleship! And it was rumoured that all the construction projects exceeded the budget.
+ + +
Much more interesting, however, was that the Royal Navy held back its reinforcements in the Indian Ocean. In Asia, fast merchant disruptors of the Royal Navy were up to mischief, but a powerful battle squadron did not dare to enter this sea area at the moment!
Morning edition of the Tōkyō Shinbun of Monday, August 17, 1914
>> New strategic opportunities for the Royal Navy! <<
Without any major celebrations, the Panama Canal was inaugurated last Saturday. The planned celebrations were cancelled due to the ongoing conflict between Great Britain and the Empire of Japan.
When asked to what extent the opening of the canal would have an impact on the war, Navy Minister Saitō Makoto replied evasively that it did not matter from which direction the Royal Navy rushed in to take a beating.
Construction of the canal began 33 years ago and has been the responsibility of the United States of America for thirteen years now.
Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Monday, August 17, 1914
Osaki Satoshi shared the assessment of the Minister of the Navy for once. The conflict with the Empire had lost momentum at sea. The last few weeks had given way to a kind of routine. And only near Hong Kong did the war rage on land.
The Navy was busy putting the Wēihǎiwèi base into operation and that required a lot of resources. Quite a few were of the opinion that this would have time until after the war, while others believed that the German Kaiser could seize the opportunity. The German leased territory of Kiautschou with its port in the city of Tsingtau was only a stone's throw away and Japan might not be able to wage war against two great powers at the same time.
+ + +
However, the situation in Southeast Asia was quite stable and the 聯合艦隊 (Rengō Kantai) clearly dominated. One could actually believe that the Royal Navy had lost its effectiveness after the last bloodletting. That was probably the price of a global empire. It had a large fleet, but also needed a large fleet. The Royal Navy was simply not able to withdraw ships from another region at will.
+ + +
However, the restraint of the Royal Navy was of little use to the Japanese soldiers off Hong Kong. Hong Kong was heavily fortified and the Royal Army knew how to fight. The death toll of the Japanese infantry increased and the places where お通夜 (Otsuya – Wake) was held increased. The morning after, the monks' sutras rang through the streets for 告別式 (Kokubetsushiki – farewell party) and then the 四十九日(Shijūkunichi), the 49-day mourning period, began.
This was particularly emotional in August, because between the thirteenth and sixteenth day of August, the お盆, 御盆 (Obon – Feast of the Dead) was celebrated.
More and more families now had a concrete reason to celebrate the feast for the salvation of the souls of the deceased ancestors.
It was even rumored that the Navy agreed to cut its finances in order to strengthen the army. From other sources, however, Satoshi heard that the funds for the formation of more Marine regiments had been spent and that reports to the contrary were only smokescreens because the Navy did not want to jeopardize its new friendship with the army.
The rest of the reports were not very exciting until Satoshi took a closer look. The name of a Japanese warship did not end in "Maru". This was the case with merchant ships. Here was a report that the Navy had ordered two units of the Oryoku Maru class.
Then it dawned on Satoshi. The Navy had ordered seaplane tenders! For all he knew, they looked like cargo ships anyway and secondly, this was a halfway usable camouflage to cause confusion. Certainly, the navy did not want to come out too early with the idea that it could now also use sea-based aircraft. This could be because you weren't convinced that you didn't have anything useful, or because you didn't have anything useful from the enemy.
Osaki Satoshi only realized at that moment that everything he had learned and written about the navies of this world in the last seventeen years was becoming worthless. Something completely new came along and no one knew what the consequences were. Ships have been around for centuries, for millennia, but airplanes?
Seventeen years? For seventeen years now, he has been writing in a responsible position at the 戦争クロニクル帝国日本 (Sensō kuronikuru teikoku Nihon - War Chronicles of Imperial Japan). Suddenly he felt old. Had seventeen years really passed? The war against Russia seemed to him as if it were yesterday. But it had already been ten years since the Imperial Japanese Navy had entered the stage of the great maritime powers.
Had he been asleep the whole time? What was in store for seafaring? He had practically not dealt with the topic of aviation at all. He also had no one in the editorial office who could say that about himself. Presumably, there was no specialist for aircraft in the entire publishing house.
He had to go to the editor-in-chief – immediately!
Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Tuesday, August 18, 1914
Osaki Satoshi had spent the night in the office. He had his informant's sketch from June in front of him and everything fit together. "Really looks like a merchant ship," slipped over his lips. Only that this ship had a large box-shaped superstructure aft. So he knew the design and now knew that the Navy had commissioned two of these ships.
In the meantime, he had overcome the worst phase of fatigue and saw himself confirmed in what he had puzzled about hours before. In fact, he had only noticed the mistake in the whole topic when the sunbeams of the new day had caught his eye:
The navy has no suitable aircraft for such a ship!
He had had to exercise a lot of patience until he could finally get some of his colleagues on the march. Now everyone was gathered back in the editorial office and the "captors" had succeeded.
Surely these snoops would have an aftermath, because they had been carried out all too clumsily, but for the moment he was satisfied.
In fact, the navy had also commissioned the construction of a suitable aircraft. Only at very short notice, but still. But in the end he found it conclusive. The ships might even be completed before the first of these planes took off, but then weeks or even months of sea trials followed before the ships could be put into service. Then the planes were probably finished and they simply weren't needed much sooner.
In other words, perhaps the aircraft designers wanted or even had to wait until the performance data of the aircraft motherships were known? What was the point of designing an aircraft if nothing was known about its carrier ship?
He understood that two completely independent disciplines had to get to know each other first. The performance of the ships influenced the capabilities of the aircraft, and the requirements of the aircraft determined the designs of the ships.
+ + +
But the editors and assistants had found even more:
The navy pushed the construction base.
This was not new in itself, but what was new was that the bases received considerable additional space. Not to expand the ports, but in the backyard. It even came out that some other nations had similar plans in the making. And somewhere there was a Picture of a huge flying machine reminiscent of a cigar.
The Navy built airship bases!
So far, there has not been the slightest sound that Japan wants to put airships into service. So far, there has been no indication that Japan had constructed such airships.
It could no longer be denied, the entire editorial team, the entire publishing house had completely slept through this development.
This information had been so easy to obtain within a few hours that it could hardly be relevant secrets. They simply didn't pay attention to it and didn't ask for it. But no other Japanese newspaper had reported on it either. Everyone had simply slept through what was going on. It couldn't be a secret either. The areas were so huge, they could not be overlooked. Not for the local population, not for spies. And anyone who knew the technology could calculate what was created there. You didn't even have to bribe anyone for that!
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Editors of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Friday, September 4, 1914
An early autumn was announced in the high altitudes of the 多摩丘陵 (Tama-kyūryū) and Osaki Satoshi was halfway through his morning walk. He stood on a small treeless ledge with an almost magnificent view of the 関東平野 (Kantō heiya = Kantō plain).
The morning fog began to dissipate and gradually revealed a view into the distance. The 東京湾 (Tōkyō-wan - Tokyo Bay) was often only reasonably recognizable, as the 多摩丘陵 (Tama-kyūryū) were rather moderately high, but a few hundred meters came together in some inaccessible places. Today, however, Osaki Satoshi was able to spot the water surface. It was a beautiful, quiet morning, as it was rare in the hurried hustle and bustle of the 関東平野 (Kantō heiya).
A dull roar in the distance, the likes of which Osaki Satoshi had never heard before, did not fit into this Picturesque portrait at all.
"What is that?" he exclaimed, but there was no one else present. He did not answer. He thought of dragons for a moment, but dismissed that thought abruptly. He felt too enlightened to believe in dragons for that.
Then he saw the dragon!
Slowly, the "cattle" rose from the 東京湾 (Tōkyō-wan - Tokyo Bay). It was big, incredibly big, and had truly imposing wings on either side of the fuselage.
"Unbelievable!" he roared into the cool morning air.
Japan's first flying boat quickly gained altitude and turned out to sea. At eye level, he already had difficulty seeing it properly when it turned again and now flew towards 相模湾 (Sagami-wan - Sagami Bay) and thus came closer. It was big, it was indistinctly recognizable at this distance, but still not to be overlooked.
The sight, along with the roar of the engines, was an exclamation to the entire world — to all the war fleets of the world — we see you coming!
Again, Osaki Satoshi felt the cold breath of time on his neck – the last 17 years – time flies. The development is progressing rapidly. After the East Asian Sea, the Imperial Japanese Navy is now preparing to dominate East Asian airspace. All other reports suddenly lost their importance.
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Morning edition of the Tōkyō Shinbun of Friday, September 4, 1914
>> Giacomo della Chiesa, now called Benedict XV
begins his pontificate in the Vatican <<
Giacomo della Chiesa, the Archbishop of Bologna, was elected as the new Pope Benedict XV yesterday in the conclave in Rome in the tenth round of voting with 38 to 18 votes. Giacomo della Chiesa is no stranger to East Asia. He was involved in the settlement of the Caroline Question, the haggling between two European nations for Asian soil (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolines_Question).
In his inaugural speech, Benedict XV acted as the Pope of Peace and called on the warring parties to conclude peace.
Editors of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Friday, September 4, 1914
Osaki Satoshi had already felt the excitement on the way to the city. The events of the morning were the number one topic of conversation. This continued directly in the editorial office. When the initial excitement had subsided, Osaki Satoshi returned to the war. A single aircraft did not bring victory over the enemy. As things stood, it wouldn't get to see anything, because it seemed that the Royal Navy was withdrawing from Asian waters.
+ + +
The report of riots in the capital of the British Empire fit in with this. The resistance was directed less at the consequences of the war for the civilian population, but much more at the high death toll among the young generation of British men. Obviously, the entire British naval leadership was called into question.
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Editorial office of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Tuesday, October 6, 1914
In the early morning of October 6, it leaked out that one of the new airship bases had already been completed and that the appearance of an airship over the base of 佐世保市 (Sasebo) had made an even more powerful impression among eyewitnesses than Japan's first flying boat.
+ + +
+ + +
Osaki Satoshi was more and more impressed by the speed Japan was showing in the field of aviation. He had the impression that the country was actually one of the leading nations in the world and was not, as with everything else, decades behind the great powers. He came to the conclusion that aviation would play a significant role if the pace of development could be maintained.
+ + +
Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Saturday, November 14, 1914
In one of the rare moments when Navy Minister Saitō Makoto was talkative, he announced why the previously secret peace negotiations with the Empire had failed.
The Imperial Japanese Navy's ongoing naval armament program had drawn the ire of the British delegation:
"A nation that is arming itself so massively and is preparing to build megalomaniacal battleships does not want peace. Such battleships are built for war!" headlined The Times in London on the breakdown of the negotiations.
This left Navy Minister Saitō Makoto with no choice but to explain to the Japanese population that the fleet building program was anything but megalomaniac.
However, a design of 49,000 tons probably corresponded exactly to what could be described as megalomania! Especially since the 40,000-ton Hatsuse was not even finished and could also be described as "big" with its size.
More interesting, however, was what the Coburger Zeitung had written:
"... which are difficult to classify in the previous scheme of armoured cruisers."
Osaki Satoshi thought exactly what the British admirals must have thought when their spies delivered the Haguro-class plans at home.
Megalomania!
Armoured cruiser with 32,000 tons!
Were there such heavy battleships in other war fleets at all? No, these were no longer armoured cruisers, the editor from the German Empire was right. Even the designation "heavy cruisers" was still trivializing for these ships.
The siege of Hong Kong dragged on month after month and the morale of the troops on land began to show its first weaknesses. So far, any shelling from the sea side has been prevented. Either the Royal Navy was on site, or the weather was unsuitable, or the fleet was needed elsewhere. Now, however, something finally had to happen.
On the twenty-third of November, there was also a stiff breeze all day and a low cloud cover made for limited visibility. The wind was increasing, but it was still decided to attack.
Instead of marching with battleships, which then again only met their own kind, Kaigun-Shōshō Ōji-sama Fushimi Hiroyasu's squadron was set in motion. The Japanese 1st Cruiser Division had last scored a victory over a British squadron off Takao in mid-April.
Ōji-sama Fushimi Hiroyasu's squadron consisted of the usual composition:
Japanese 1st Cruiser Division:
Battlecruiser Nisshin (flagship)
Battlecruiser Myoko
- - -
Japanese 3rd Reconnaissance Division:
Protected Cruiser Chitose
Shortly before noon, the Japanese squadron approached the Lema Channel, the entrance to Hong Kong through the tangle of the Ten Thousand Mountains Archipelago of the Wanshan Archipelago. Kaigun-Shōshō Ōji-sama Fushimi Hiroyasu had deliberately chosen this path, as it offered the chance to remain undiscovered for a long time, as the numerous islands did not allow a wide view.
With a bit of luck, he would suddenly appear in front of Hong Kong, leaving the defenders no time to seek cover. Because shelling from the sea was not necessarily to be expected in this weather.
At fifteen minutes past twelve o'clock, Kaigun-Shōshō Ōji-sama Fushimi Hiroyasu ordered the cruiser Chitose to leave the head of the convoy and to gain distance ahead in order to reconnoitre any enemy ships.
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Rain set in for half an hour and worsened the visibility even more. On the one hand, one would actually get to Hong Kong undetected, on the other hand, one would not recognize any targets that had to be fought.
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Half an hour later, the rain front disappeared just as suddenly as it had begun and promptly an enemy ship was spotted by the Chitose in front.
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However, the enemy was soon recognized as a merchant ship. The surprise was a success.
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At twenty minutes to two o'clock in the afternoon, the Chitose opened the battle with her attack on the merchant ship.
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The freighter had no chance and was a wreck less than ten minutes later.
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Kaigun-Shōshō Ōji-sama Fushimi Hiroyasu could not make out another ship that seemed suspicious to him. At least some torpedo boats should be expected? He turned in the direction of Sai Kung and Tai Po, where the Japanese invasion troops had established themselves. The center of Hong Kong could not be reached because of an extensive minefield.
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Around half past three, dark wisps of smoke were spotted to the southwest, and Kaigun-Shōshō Ōji-sama Fushimi Hiroyasu turned around. It might have been the burning freighter, but the Kaigun-Shōshō had such a feeling that it was something else and he was right.
Kaigun-Shōshō Ōji-sama Fushimi Hiroyasu began to curse: „No coastal shelling again!...“
It was clear to him that an enemy group was apparently coming back to Hong Kong from a reconnaissance patrol and that only the rain front had prevented earlier contact. He ordered the battle alarm to be sounded.
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Kaigun-Shōshō Ōji-sama Fushimi Hiroyasu decided to put the opponent in the pincers. The torpedo boats were to cut off the way into the minefield at full speed, while he wanted to steer a parallel course with his two battlecruisers in order to be able to use all the main weapons and get into an aft position.
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It took only minutes before the enemy could also be addressed as a battlecruiser.
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Kaigun-Shōshō Ōji-sama Fushimi Hiroyasu immediately ordered the shelling of the British battlecruiser.
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The enemy did the same, and on both sides, columns of water rose around the capital ships. But there was one important difference: Until now, Kaigun-Shōshō Ōji-sama Fushimi Hiroyasu could not make out any enemy torpedo boats.
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It was then also the Myoko that was hit first and that already with the second salvo of the British. It didn't get any better with the third salvo! A hit on the command bridge showed everyone the danger they were in should the next shell penetrate the armor.
But at least the opponent also got to feel Japanese steel.
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Then the enemy turned away to evade the attack of the Japanese torpedo boats. After the classification, Kaigun-Shōshō Ōji-sama Fushimi Hiroyasu had to realize that the enemy was clearly superior in terms of artillery. Eight or even sixteen 14inch guns.
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However, the British battlecruisers had to change course in order to be able to use a maximum number of their guns. This maneuver was a gift for the Japanese torpedo boats.
Then more ships came into view!
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The two battlecruisers of the Royal Navy had manoeuvred themselves into an extremely dangerous position. For the torpedo boats, a textbook attack began! The Japanese flagship, on the other hand, had to struggle with the old Japanese problem. The turret mechanics were disrupted, putting two-thirds of the largest available pieces out of action.
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The Yukaze was already badly hit, but began the torpedo attack unimpressed.
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Kaigun-Shōshō Ōji-sama Fushimi Hiroyasu was annoyed and wondered if the identification manuals had been forgotten on the torpedo boats? The second battlecruiser was still not identified, but that now enemy torpedo boats – at least one – were coming up, that had been recognized.
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Then the Yukaze was hit again and had to leave the formation. However, two of their torpedoes found their target. And the second battlecruiser had also finally been identified. This one even had 15inch guns!
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Now the second tower of the Nisshin had also failed and Kaigun-Shōshō Ōji-sama Fushimi Hiroyasu decided to turn it off. With no operational main artillery, his battlecruiser was little more than a training target.
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Even if the enemy had far superior artillery, this was irrelevant against torpedoes, because the Japanese torpedo boats followed suit and succeeded!
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It was again a mistake that the two battlecruisers did not have sufficient escort and also concentrated on the two Japanese battlecruisers, although they had broken off the battle. This gave the Japanese torpedo boats almost complete freedom of action.
Both enemy cruisers had now been hit by at least three torpedoes each, but no one knew if this would be enough for these ships.
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Although the enemy had finally transferred his fire to the Japanese torpedo boats, this probably came too late. The two British battlecruisers began to slow down and had a clear side.
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The Japanese 2nd Torpedo Boat Flotilla now paid the price for its success.
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It was now shortly after 3 p.m. and Kaigun-Shōshō Ōji-sama Fushimi Hiroyasu was sure that the battle was decided. The enemy was badly hit and no other ships could be seen. It would take a moment to sink the enemy cruisers for good, so that they could not escape to nearby Hong Kong badly damaged. However, Kaigun-Shōshō Ōji-sama Fushimi Hiroyasu had no doubts about the sinking. The only question might be how many torpedo boats were ultimately lost on the Japanese side?
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For the Japanese 4th Torpedo Boat Flotilla, there was really nothing left to do but clean up and ensure success. The Nisshin finally had one of her gun towers back in operation and took care of the cheeky British torpedo boat that headed straight for the Nisshin.
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It was done, the two battlecruisers lay almost motionless with a strong side in the sea off Hong Kong. It was unlikely that these two ships would pick up speed again.
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The Chitose was now exposed to an enemy torpedo attack after the British torpedo boat had let go of the Japanese battlecruisers. The Chitose was also much easier to attack than the two Japanese capital fighting ships.
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The British torpedo boat now saw itself trapped and was taken under fire from all directions.
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At 3:20 p.m., practically all ships of the Royal Navy began to sink at the same time, as if on command. The battle was over. Kaigun-Shōshō Ōji-sama Fushimi Hiroyasu, however, had no reasonable opportunity to carry out targeted coastal fire due to the limited visibility.
>> Memorandum of Kaigun-chūjō Ijūin Gorō on the Battle of Dangan Dao 23 November 1914 <<
Distinguished officers and members of the 大本営 (Daihon'ei),
there are not many words to say about the battle in front of Dangan Dao. Apart from the fact that there was once again no support for our soldiers in front of Hong Kong, Kaigun-Shōshō Ōji-sama Fushimi Hiroyasu has achieved a showpiece. Without any total losses of his own, Kaigun-Shōshō Ōji-sama Fushimi Hiroyasu was able to sink two modern and far superior battlecruisers of the Royal Navy. Certainly, the weather conditions and the renewed incompetence of British commanders came to his aid, but this does not diminish his performance in the slightest.
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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, 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 Dangan Dao on November 23, 1914 of that year.
Long live the Rengō Kantai, long live the Imperial Japanese Navy, long live the Emperor!
Kaigun-chūjō Ijūin Gorō, November 24, 1914
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Extra sheet of the Tōkyō Shinbun from Tuesday, November 24, 1914
>> Mandatory victory for the Rengō Kantai! <<
Once again, the Japanese 1st Cruiser Division under its commander Kaigun-Shōshō Ōji-sama Fushimi Hiroyasu was able to achieve an unblemished victory. In a brief skirmish near Hong Kong, Kaigun-Shōshō Ōji-sama Fushimi Hiroyasu managed to sink two vastly superior enemy battlecruisers. All ships of the Japanese squadron have returned to their home ports.
It can now be assumed that the Royal Navy has been defeated. It is only a matter of time before new peace negotiations lead to success without the Empire interfering in Japan's military affairs.
It is Japan's business alone how big it builds its ships
and no one dictates shipbuilding to the Empire!
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Editorial office of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Tuesday, November 24, 1914
There was no denying that the largest war fleet in the world had so far delivered a more than mediocre Picture. While the Royal Navy had withdrawn almost completely a few weeks earlier, London now seemed to have rethought. Osaki Satoshi had reports that a large British fleet had moored off Colombo. This could only have one goal. In Southeast Asia, its own navy had already sighted reinforcements after the success off Hong Kong, without any fighting.
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The Royal Navy suffered considerable losses, while the Empire of Japan had practically not weakened.
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Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Thursday, November 26, 1914
There was dead silence in the editorial office. For ten minutes no one spoke a word, and everyone looked everywhere except someone else's face. Editor-in-chief Kamata Itachi had just given a lecture. He had literally exploded and that is saying something for a Japanese in general and editor-in-chief Kamata Itachi in particular.
Osaki Satoshi placed the morning edition of the Asahi Shimbun on the table in front of him.
Then he let out a strong "くそまじめだ" (kuso-majime).
The Asahi Shimbun had probably had something in its hands for a long time, but the final proof was missing. This had now been brought to light by the peace negotiations, or rather the public announcement of the Navy's current fleet building program.
Now it became clear why the minister had been very reluctant to provide information in the past. Whether he was actively involved in the scandal or not didn't matter, he had probably at least suspected something. The German Siemens Group and the British company Vickers had apparently been outbidding each other for years in bribing Japanese officers of the 艦政本部 (Kansei Hombu – Main Department of Warships), first and foremost Kaigun-chūjō Matsumoto Kazu personally, but also Kaigun-shōshō Fujii Mitsugorō. Both companies supplied important equipment for the Japanese Navy, or, like Vickers, wanted to be awarded the contract to build entire battlecruisers.
It was probably due to the outbreak of hostilities with the British Empire that the Asahi Shimbun did not go public months ago, but after details about the current armaments program became known, the Asahi Shimbun did not want to hold back any longer. This was probably also due to the fact that the informant of the Asahi Shimbun had also informed other publishers and in France Le Temps had already gone public hours earlier. The French probably assessed the situation similarly. No publication because of the outbreak of war, but now you had to publish or never anymore. The wires were glowing and countless inquiries from other newspapers came from abroad, what was going on in Japan?
Osaki Satoshi felt miserable. No one was closer to the navy than him, no other newspaper had such a large editorial office for the navy alone, but no one on the Tōkyō Shinbun had heard a peep of what the Asahi Shimbun had adorned its front page with in the morning.
He couldn't blame the editor-in-chief for being really angry. The Tōkyō Shinbun should have brought that, no one else. Especially not the French first!
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Extra sheet of the Tōkyō Shinbun from Thursday, November 26, 1914
>> Cabinet Yamamoto Gonnohyōe resigned! <<
Following the publications in the international press about the Imperial Japanese Navy's procurement procedures, Prime Minister Yamamoto Gonnohyōe has lost his support from the 貴族院 (Kizokuin – Mansion) and the rest of the 帝国議会 (Teikoku-gikai – Reichstag). As a result, the cabinet and its ministers have resigned.
In the middle of the ongoing war with the British Empire, the government is thus unable to act and the navy is without political leadership.
Ministry of Navy of the Imperial Japanese Navy – Saturday, November 28, 1914
Minister of the Navy Yashiro Rokurō did not have time to deal with how the usual greeting formalities were to be handled. Or which courses of action are waiting to be observed. He was hastily sworn in as Saitō Makoto's successor the day before and immediately had to deal with the most pressing issues.
Kaigun-chūjō Ijūin Gorō and Kaigun-chūjō Katō Tomosaburō knew the office of the Minister of the Navy better than he himself for the moment. Satō Tetsutarō had also been to these premises several times and this time his views on the development of the navy were also in demand. Although he had the vilification of the 20+5 plan, there were not many experts of his caliber and Japan had finally responded to his statements with its latest ships.
The round was completed by Iwasaki Hisaya, the president of the Mitsubishi Company, Nakajima Chikuhei, founder of the Nakajima Aircraft Company (author's note: now known as Subaru), and Kōjirō Matsukata, president of the Kawasaki Dockyard Company.
All three companies whose management was present had distinguished themselves from having designed Japan's first naval aircraft. And it was probably no coincidence that they were either companies that were active in shipbuilding or were run by former naval officers.
From Kawasaki came the Kyofu, Japan's first flying boat, which had recently put itself in the limelight. Nakajima had begun production of the Saiun, which was chosen to fight other aircraft. Only Mitsubishi has not yet been able to present a finished production model of the Raiden. However, this seaplane was the most sought-after type at the time. Therefore, the Navy had only recently published a tender for such a type, whereupon Mitsubishi announced somewhat full-bodied that it already had such an aircraft ready. Well – the Raiden wasn't finished – but there wasn't much left for the first flight.
The Raiden would then be exactly the aircraft that would be used on the two seaplane tenders under construction. But the ideas were also to equip battleships with such aircraft as soon as they were able to do so.
To the great delight of those present, extensive espionage had revealed that Japan was the leader in naval aircraft construction. No other nation had a fighter aircraft in service. No other nation had a seaplane in service, only the Royal Navy and Tsarist Navy knew of flying boats. And here the Kawasaki Kyofu seemed to be the leading pattern. At least it flew faster than the other two.
They wanted to keep this lead at all costs, which was the reason for the meeting.
It had already been agreed that the Navy itself would largely stay out of the design of the aircraft. That would be the sole task of the Japanese industry. The task of the Navy would be to name its requirements and then select from various prototypes of the industry. This procedure had caused great excitement in the Admiralty of the Imperial Japanese Navy, which was accustomed to having an important say in the construction of its material.
In the end, however, everyone had to admit that an airplane was not a ship, but something completely different. Therefore, there was simply not enough expertise in naval leadership and commanders.
The positions of the heads of the 帝国海軍航空隊 (Teikoku Kaigun Kōkūtai - Imperial Japanese Naval Air Force) and 海 軍航空本部 (Kaigun Kōkū Hombu - Imperial Japanese Naval Aviation Bureau) were still unnamed.
In front of those present were several personnel files of both naval officers and industrialists to fill these positions here and now. Whoever was appointed for it, it had to be reliable and assertive men. They had to know how naval warfare had worked so far, but also be open to the new element in order to know how to actively change naval warfare before others did.
The discussion dragged on without any usable result. Then Satō Tetsutarō made a suggestion:
"We could look for a suitable candidate in Tanakadate Aikitsu's environment, or ask him ourselves if he would suggest?"
Everyone could now agree on this proposal, even if it meant that the two positions would not be filled today.
Tanakadate Aikitsu was something like the initiator of Japanese aviation. Without him, there might not be any aircraft in Japan at all, even if he was possibly closer to the army than to the navy. So if anyone knew about aviation as such in Japan, it was Tanakadate Aikitsu. Thus, he was also the most sought-after contact person for anyone else who was active or interested in the field of aviation. The assumption that Tanakadate Aikitsu knew everyone who had done anything in the field of aviation in Japan could not be dismissed. So Tanakadate Aikitsu actually wanted to know who the navy should fill for these two leadership positions.
Author's note: Thanks to our new acquisition - https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/1 ... y6i_hT14n4 - we now know a lot about the aviation development of Japan in general and naval aviation in Japan in particular. We must now announce that the descriptions in the AAR differ significantly from the real events.
This is due to the following reasons:
- The game is faster! Development in Japan did not pick up speed until around 1919, and we did not enter the AAR until 1914.
- The real development has a lot to do with the First World War, which did not exist here in the AAR
- In the beginning, Japan built a lot of aircraft under license, or bought them in Europe and received them from Germany as "war compensation". This cannot be represented in this way because of the events and the way aviation development is modeled in the game.
May the regency forgive us if we rewrite Japanese history in this aspect as well in large parts and many an aircraft construction company appears before its actual foundation.
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Extra sheet of the Tōkyō Shinbun from Thursday, December 02, 1914
>> Hong Kong before the fall! <<
After months of costly fighting, the Japanese troops have succeeded in conquering Devil's Peak off Hong Kong in a daring night attack. From here, large parts of Hong Kong can be targeted with the field guns. So far, the report has not been confirmed that the first Japanese troops have even entered the island of Hong Kong itself at Pak Sha Wan. If this is true, it would mean that the British positions of the Lye Mun Barracks have also been taken by Japanese troops. This would make the island of Hong Kong indefensible and the surrender of the British garrison only a matter of time.
Morning edition of the Tōkyō Shinbun of Friday, December 3, 1914
>> Navy orders aircraft from Kawasaki Dockyard Company <<
The new Minister of the Navy, Yashiro Rokurō, announced last night that the Kawasaki Dockyard Company has been awarded the contract to supply the Navy's new seaplanes. The decisive factor was the higher range compared to the designs of Aichi Tokei Denki Seizo Kabushiki Kaisha (Aichi Watch and Electric Manufacturing) and Kyūshū Hikōki K.K. (Kyūshū Aircraft Company Ltd).
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>> British battleship sunk! <<
According to unconfirmed reports, a British battleship ran into a sea mine off Hong Kong and sank. The navy is keeping quiet about whether the sea routes to and from Hong Kong were mined during the last operation at the end of November.
It is also unclear whether this battleship was on its way to Hong Kong, or whether it fled Hong Kong because of the expected fall of the city. Then it could be that the ship became a victim of its own mine barriers if the commander navigated too fast and carelessly.
Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Tuesday, December 29, 1914
Another turn of the year was imminent and the last few weeks had been conspicuously quiet. The war with the British Empire was progressing, the fighting in Hong Kong had stiffened, but Japan was closer to victory than the Empire would be able to avert surrender.
The new Japanese government was busy with itself to find its way into office, but it was useful that no serious threat was to be expected from the Empire.
He would have the next two weeks off. This was extraordinarily unusual by Japanese standards, but Osaki Satoshi had already benefited several times from the pleasant atmosphere with his editor-in-chief Kamata Itachi.
Editor-in-chief Kamata Itachi had come to him in the editorial office two days ago and had practically prescribed the two weeks of rest for him. Satoshi was very irritated by this, but very quickly came to the background of the whole thing. Soon he would have to spend even more time for the publishing house. Editor-in-chief Kamata Itachi admitted it bluntly:
"As soon as this war is over, my friend, I will retire. This is already overdue."
It came like a punch and Satoshi slumped in his chair. Then came the actual attack from Kamata Itachi:
"I told the publishing house management your name for my successor – Satoshi!"
Osaki Satoshi absorbed these words, but did not think he understood what they meant. He talked to Itachi for quite some time about how to continue? As editor-in-chief, it would hardly be appropriate for him to continue personally writing the war chronicles of Imperial Japan. And he wouldn't have enough time for the navy for a long time, he would have to take care of everything else.
Kamata Itachi's last words of the evening were not very encouraging:
"Don't worry, Satoshi – I had to do that for the good of our newspaper, because I believe that our publisher wants to put his youngest son in the post."
Of course, that would be a blow that you had to digest first. Fukuzawa Saburo had probably studied philosophy at the Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität zu Berlin, at least that's what they said. But it was also said that he was a bon vivant who spent his time all too often with geishas rather than pursuing something useful. If this man really becomes editor-in-chief, it could lead to problems.
Author's note: Something about the difference between Geisha and Oiran:
Satoshi had spent the next two days brooding. Soon he would be thirty-seven, and a lot had happened in all that time. He remembered how he had gotten on Kamata Itachi's nerves when he was only ten years old. He earned some extra money for his parents by working as a newspaper boy. In the process, he met Itachi and asked him holes in the stomach. He even had the audacity to criticize Itachi – worse still – he even dared to correct him! Some times rightly so, but mostly wrongly out of naivety.
Kamata Itachi had somehow come to appreciate and grow fond of the young Osaki Satoshi. He took care of his career in the direction of journalism and was rewarded with a hard-working and reliable employee.
Then came the rise of Japan and the incredible war with the Tsarist Empire. At the same time, he became a father for the first time that year and of twins. These first two children were now ten years old and the two younger twins were already five years old.
He became the head of a respectable editorial office of his ブロック紙 (burokku-shi - block newspaper) and now it could happen that he would become editor-in-chief. Directly after the biggest war Japan had fought so far. But when the son of a publisher was in the conversation, Kamata Itachi's word was certainly not weighty enough in this matter.
He would have to wait and see what he was expected to do. One thing was certain, however:
If he were really offered the position of editor-in-chief, he could not refuse!
Refusing was out of the question, that would be a loss of honor of the first order, so he didn't even have to start thinking about what he had to do if the worst came to the worst.
So now he had two weeks off, but before he could take it, he wanted to put everything in order.
Where was Japan at the end of 1914?
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Japan was able to look forward to the war with the Empire in a relaxed manner. Although the Royal Navy seemed to be looking for battle again, a look at the fleet distribution of the Empire showed that it would probably be the last major battle. After that, the Empire would need time for new buildings.
Yes, there was another battle imminent, Satoshi could literally smell it. But his informants also spoke of a large warship group that had left Colombo.
Osaki Satoshi was sitting in the garden in front of his house and realized that he was doing something he had never done before. He let the Tōkyō Shinbun! In fact, he had never done that before. Of course, he checked the articles under his responsibility before printing and of course he checked the printing before the newspaper went on sale, but he had never really read the Tōkyō Shinbun.
Not much had happened over the turn of the year. The Tōkyō Shinbun headlined a report on disputes in the new cabinet. This was followed by reports on the tense economic situation. In particular, the military's extremely high demand for steel had a lasting negative impact on the private sector. An army soldier had committed a heroic deed in Hong Kong, but paid for it with his life and only on the third page came the usual but not very sensational reports from his editors:
His concentration was not enough for more, because his four boys stormed him to bring him into the house. Natsuko was already worried. Even though it wasn't really cold, there was still a strong wind blowing and it was just uncomfortable at high altitudes. Satoshi didn't seem to mind, but it was time for food anyway. Natsuko was probably just happy that Satoshi didn't have to leave right away and so she took over every available second.
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From the War Chronicles of Imperial Japan:
>> Battle of the South China Sea 09 January 1915 <<
The situation of the British garrison in Hong Kong deteriorated day by day. The Royal Navy, however, seemed to have no interest in a liberation. Despite the presence of heavy units in Southeast Asia, the enemy did not stand for battle.
After the turn of the year, the situation in Hong Kong became desolate. Even though the British Empire stubbornly spoke of a supply convoy with supplies for Hong Kong, it was presumably actually an evacuation attempt by the remaining troops.
What exactly the goal of the Royal Navy may have been on the ninth of January in the year nineteen hundred and fifteen, only the British government will be able to clarify. What happened that night in the South China Sea, on the other hand, is well documented.
Kaigun-Shōshō Ōji-sama Fushimi Hiroyasu had reorganized his unit after the Battle of Dangan Dao and was now part of the 第二艦隊 (Dai-ni Kantai) under the command of Danshaku Katō Sadakichi. It would probably have been Danshaku Katō Sadakichi himself who would have fought the battle that night, if he hadn't fallen ill shortly before.
For example, Kaigun-Shōshō Ōji-sama Fushimi Hiroyasu was on patrol in the South China Sea with part of the 第二艦隊 (Dai-ni Kantai). There was deepest darkness with low cloud cover, even though daybreak was not too far away. Ōji-sama Fushimi Hiroyasu was lying in bed when he was woken up by a violent knock on the door. His chief of staff entered and shouted out:
"Enemy contact!"
Ōji-sama Fushimi Hiroyasu was suddenly wide awake and stood bolt upright in his bed.
"Cruiser Kasuga has run directly into an enemy formation and is in battle..." were the explanatory words, then both men really stormed the bridge.
Kaigun-Shōshō Ōji-sama Fushimi Hiroyasu remembered what was available to him:
From the bridge you could see a flickering in the distance, that could be the Kasuga. The cruiser reported its position within the rows of several ship contacts, more could not be learned about the vulnerable marine radio.
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Kaigun-Shōshō Ōji-sama Fushimi Hiroyasu had only one option:
Frontal attack – it didn't matter what the Royal Navy had brought up. The Kasuga was right in the middle of it all and needed help immediately!
Ōji-sama Fushimi Hiroyasu began to curse:
"Where are our great eyes in the air, which are supposed to find the enemy long before he is in range?"
He knew very well that the new planes and airships could not fly at night and would only now ascend with the imminent end of twilight. And for all he knew — he didn't know much about the aircraft — he didn't believe that they would even reach that far, and if they did, they could only be here in hours.
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A clear radio message came from the Kasuga: "Start the attack!"
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Then, right next to the Okikaze, another ship emerged from the receding darkness. That was within torpedo range on the Japanese battlecruisers.
Seconds later, the first shells crashed into the water everywhere!
>> Battle of the South China Sea 09 January 1915 <<
Unexpectedly, Kaigun-Shōshō Ōji-sama Fushimi Hiroyasu found himself in battle with the escort of a British convoy. The cargo ships were high in the water, so they were undoubtedly unloaded, and were heading for Hong Kong.
Now it was time to act quickly, because everyone was in the middle of each other's formation. The Okikaze was caught in the first seconds. Then an enemy armoured cruiser was detected, which took the Nisshin under fire and hit it with its first salvo.
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The Royal Navy found its way into the battle better in the first minutes, which was due to the superior artillery performance of the enemy. But the very well-trained Japanese torpedo boat crews were able to get between the Japanese battlecruisers and the enemy very quickly.
The two British cruisers immediately understood the danger and turned away. Nevertheless, the Japanese torpedo boats were now able to carry out a pincer attack because the Aso was also in a promising position.
The Japanese battlecruisers fired at the enemy with maximum firepower, while the Kasuga had free play with the merchant ships.
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It did not take long for the significantly higher number of heavy guns on the Japanese side to produce the first successes. The enemy armoured cruiser received heavy hits from the Myoko and then from the Nisshin.
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Now it was a matter of the torpedo attack, which was carried out with great use of weapons. This was more a defensive reaction out of the frightening phase than too coordinated, but this tactic had already been successful before.
But before the torpedoes reached their targets, so many heavy 11-inch and 12-inch shells crashed down on the Bedford-class cruiser that it was doomed to death even without a torpedo hit.
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The British armoured cruiser was badly hit, the protected cruiser was too far north to be dangerous. The torpedo boats could take care of the armoured cruiser, the rest of the squadron set about sinking the transports.
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At that moment, the presence of several armed merchant ships turned out to be dangerous, which were able to deliver annoying hits. Then the sea began to boil in the truest sense of the word. Everywhere there were crashes on the ships, columns of water rose from missed shots and fires began to obscure the view.
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For the Bedford-class the last minutes came when the Japanese torpedo boats began the call. However, this did not happen without resistance.
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In quick succession, numerous torpedoes tore open the hull of the old cruiser, which remained stranded and quickly became sidelined.
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It was not without consequences and more and more torpedo boats had to take hits in turn.
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In the course of the battle, the Royal Navy's protected cruiser came up almost unnoticed and inflicted heavy hits on the Japanese torpedo boats. Then at last the twilight moved away and completely exposed the battlefield.
The British cruiser focused on the Okinami and turned the torpedo boat into a wreck. A British torpedo finished off the Okinami and tore the boat in two.
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The Cordelia-class protected cruiser seemed to be well managed, but had now attracted the attention of the Japanese flagship and paid for it with a 12inch direct hit of the Nisshin.
After that, the combat-capable Japanese torpedo boats began to take care of their opponent. However, this could not be done without further damage.
The Matsukaze received heavy hits and could break apart at any time. The commander of the torpedo boat, however, did not want to remain unsuccessful and at least give his comrades a good run. He personally turned the rudder of the Matsukaze around and crashed into the hull of the British cruiser at almost full speed.
>> Battle of the South China Sea 09 January 1915 <<
The maneuver was a practiced suicide attempt, but achieved its purpose. The speed of the enemy cruiser was drastically reduced, providing an optimal approach for the undamaged torpedo boats.
+ + +
The enemy cruiser was thus as good as finished and was left to its own devices for the moment. The torpedo boats were looking for a connection to the flagship. Meanwhile, Kaigun-Shōshō Ōji-sama Fushimi Hiroyasu ordered his armoured cruisers to pursue the two auxiliary cruisers, which had decided to flee in the meantime.
+ + +
In the next few minutes, the Japanese warships fired at everything that was still floating. Both the British cruisers were hit, as well as the enemy torpedo boats and freighters. Only the auxiliary cruisers had some rest for the moment due to their distance.
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But the enemy resisted as best he could, which was felt by the already badly damaged Matsukaze, who was lying motionless in the water after the ramming anyway.
+ + +
Kaigun-Shōshō Ōji-sama Fushimi Hiroyasu was satisfied with the battle. In particular, his own artillery and that of the Myoko did their job unexpectedly well. The enemy had to swallow one heavy shell after another. This ultimately led to success and after a major flash of flame, the British armoured cruiser capsized and sank.
+ + +
After a short pursuit, the two auxiliary cruisers came within range of the Aso and Kasuga, which immediately changed destinations.
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However, it took quite some time before the distance was so short that safe hits could be scored.
+ + +
Kaigun-Shōshō Ōji-sama Fushimi Hiroyasu let his gaze glide over a desolate battlefield. It had started chaotically, but now the Royal Navy was finally finished.
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Aso and Kasuga had now zeroed in, but the British auxiliary cruisers were tough opponents.
+ + +
Nevertheless, the end for the first auxiliary cruiser came as expected and the second would not be able to last forever. To the south, the last enemy torpedo boat observed the action, but kept a respectful distance at all times.
+ + +
+ + +
Then came the end of the second ship. It remained motionless and showed a clear tilt. The Japanese armoured cruisers turned away.
+ + +
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The battle was basically over, and Kaigun-Shōshō Ōji-sama Fushimi Hiroyasu ordered ships to assemble. On the march, the Japanese ships were intensively occupied with rescuing the enemy's sailors. But more than that, he wanted to rescue an officer whom he could question about the convoy's mission.
+ + +
The commander of the Matsukaze had driven his crew to superhuman feats during the rest of the time. The engine damage was repaired and the fire extinguished. After the pumps were back in operation, the water level could be maintained and gradually reduced. The hull was patched with everything that could be found and finally the torpedo boat, which had been thought to be lost, started moving and crept behind the flagship with a knot.
+ + +
Eight hours after the start of the battle, the battle was over and the humiliation of the Royal Navy was complete. Kaigun-Shōshō Ōji-sama Fushimi Hiroyasu was now sure that this battle would bring the decision for Hong Kong.
>> Memorandum of Kaigun-chūjō Ijūin Gorō on the Battle of the South China Sea January 9, 1915 <<
Distinguished officers and members of the 大本営 (Daihon'ei),
Once again, Kaigun-Shōshō Ōji-sama Fushimi Hiroyasu was able to prove his extraordinary skills in difficult situations. Of course, one could ask how it could even happen to penetrate the middle of an enemy formation without noticing it? At least the naval officers of the 大本営 (Daihon'ei) know the answer to this all too well and know that this can always happen. At that moment, Kaigun-Shōshō Ōji-sama Fushimi Hiroyasu did everything right, which is fully evidenced by the small losses of only a single torpedo boat.
Moreover, thanks to the attention of Kaigun-Shōshō Ōji-sama Fushimi Hiroyasu, we can assume that this was an attempt to evacuate the British garrison. Even if the captured British sailors are still silent, this is the only logical conclusion.
Gentlemen, the British garrison is at the end of its rope. I urge the officers of the army to launch an offensive immediately before the enemy succeeds in doing something unexpected. Should the British garrison come to the conclusion that no rescue is possible, these troops could begin to destroy the port facilities and the important docks of the local shipyard.
This must be prevented!
The army must attack – now!
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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, 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 in the South China Sea on January 9, 1915 of the year.
Long live the Rengō Kantai, long live the Imperial Japanese Navy, long live the Emperor!
Osaki Satoshi was furious. There was a new battle – as he had already expected – but no one had informed him about it. Editor-in-chief Kamata Itachi seemed to take the vacation prescribed to him seriously. Now, a messenger boy from the editorial staff had brought along the extra edition, which was already printed and on sale.
Satoshi pays great attention to the details – over and over again. He had to admit that his editorial office seemed to work well without him. Especially the last sentence of the article was a provocation in the direction of London, which is likely to cause a lot of trouble there:
"What did the Royal Navy want with obviously unloaded transporters in Hong Kong?"
It was very good that his editors had finally put this question in the center. The actual battle was rather unspectacular, it simply lined up with the rest of the battles. But the mission of the convoy contained the real explosiveness. Satoshi thought about it for a moment and quickly had the word E-v-a-c-u-a-t-i-o-n on his lips.
This meant that Hong Kong only needed to deal the final death blow. And he immediately began to think about what consequences this had for the entire Empire? Hastily he began to take notes. Actually, he was supposed to stay away from the editorial office until January 18, but editor-in-chief Kamata Itachi could forget that. Tomorrow Osaki Satoshi would be back in the editorial office, that much was certain! Then he looked up when he noticed that Natsuko was standing in front of him. He looked at her face, noticed her sparkling eyes and saw his skins swimming away.
Natsuko had known how to keep him away from the editorial office. So he had no choice but to read his newspaper every day to be up to date. As it looked, the Royal Navy was indeed in retreat. The British naval presence in East Asia had fallen to a minimum.
+ + +
The hammer blow came late in the evening. Completely out of breath, the newspaper boy stood in front of him and handed over the extra paper:
Hong Kong has fallen – British garrison smashed in army offensive
Thousands of British soldiers in captivity!
He slammed his fist on the floorboards on which he had sat down. The most important event of the entire war with the British Empire and he learned about it from the newspaper. It couldn't go on like this. It was already pitch dark here away from the big metropolis, but that was of no importance. He packed up his notes from the last few days and made his way to Tōkyō.
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Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Tuesday, February 2, 1915
Osaki Satoshi came late to the editorial office. His hasty departure two weeks earlier turned out to be unnecessary because absolutely nothing happened at all for the next two weeks. It was not until the turn of the month that a cornucopia of news poured over the editorial office, but none of it was suitable for an extra paper. Some printers have already scoffed that the newspaper could return to a two-day publication rhythm, as it did in its early days.
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The Royal Navy had all but disappeared from Asia. There was a small squadron in Singapore, but nothing capable of competing against Japan. The rest of the Royal Navy seemed to be on its way home. From Europe came reports of violent anti-war demonstrations in London and of strikes by British wives in front of the major naval bases throughout the country.
+ + +
Then Osaki Satoshi studied the new circumstances. The war with the Empire was over. Japan could neither reach Singapore with its possibilities, nor could the Empire return to Hong Kong. For this purpose, Japan had a large base on the South China coast at its disposal in Hong Kong, which had to be expanded.
